Key Points:
- Behavior Follows Reinforcement: The Matching Law in ABA shows that children with autism choose behaviors that provide the most frequent, immediate, or high-quality rewards; behavior goes where reinforcement flows.
- Choice Making Can Be Guided: By increasing reinforcement for positive behaviors and reducing reinforcement for problem behaviors, therapists and parents can shift a child’s choices toward functional, adaptive actions.
- Practical ABA Strategies Work: Adjusting reinforcement schedules, lowering effort for appropriate behaviors, and offering structured choices can predictably improve engagement, communication, and cooperation in children with autism.
The Matching Law in ABA therapy explains a simple but powerful truth about behavior: behavior goes where reinforcement flows.
In autism intervention, this principle helps therapists and parents understand why certain behaviors persist and how to shift choices toward positive, functional behaviors.
Children with autism are constantly making choices, often unconsciously, between available behaviors. The behavior that produces the fastest, highest-quality, or most frequent reinforcement is the one most likely to occur.
By understanding the matching law, choice making, and behavioral economics in autism, interventionists can design environments that naturally promote adaptive behavior.
What Is the Matching Law in ABA?
Originally formulated by Richard Herrnstein, the matching law states that when multiple behaviors are available, the rate of each behavior matches the rate of reinforcement received for that behavior relative to others.
In simple terms: If one behavior is reinforced twice as often as another, it will likely occur about twice as often.
In ABA therapy, this means that children distribute their behavior based on which option “pays off” the most.
The Matching Law Formula
The relationship can be expressed mathematically as:
R1/(R1+R2)=Rf1/(Rf1+Rf2)R_{1}/(R_{1}+R_{2}) =
Rf_{1}/(Rf_{1}+Rf_{2})R1/(R1+R2)=Rf1/(Rf1+Rf2)
This shows that the proportion of a specific behavior matches the proportion of reinforcement it receives compared to other available behaviors.
Choice Making and Behavioral Economics in Autism
From a behavioral economics perspective, children with autism weigh the cost and benefit of each behavior:
- Effort required (response effort)
- Speed of reinforcement
- Quality or intensity of the reward
- History of reinforcement
Children with autism often choose behaviors that are:
- Easier
- Faster
- More predictable
- More reinforcing
This is not defiance; it is a rational choice based on reinforcement history.
How the Matching Law Explains Challenging Behavior
When challenging behavior occurs, the matching law asks one key question:
What reinforcement is maintaining this behavior?
Examples:
- Tantrums that result in attention
- Screaming that leads to escape from tasks
- Aggression that produces access to preferred items
If maladaptive behavior consistently produces stronger reinforcement than appropriate alternatives, the child will continue to choose it.
How Matching Law Is Applied in ABA Therapy
1. Increase Reinforcement for Desired Behaviors
To change behavior, ABA therapists tip the balance:
- Increase the frequency, immediacy, and quality of reinforcement for functional behaviors
- Make appropriate behaviors more profitable than problem behaviors
Example: If asking for help earns immediate attention but screaming does not, communication will increase.
2. Reduce Reinforcement for Maladaptive Behaviors
Problem behaviors decrease when:
- Reinforcement is no longer delivered for them (extinction)
- A more effective alternative behavior is reinforced instead (differential reinforcement)
This shift must be paired with teaching an easier, functional replacement behavior.
3. Reduce Effort for Positive Choices
Effort matters. If a behavior is too hard, it will lose to an easier option, even if the reward is better.
ABA strategies include:
- Visual supports
- Prompting
- Breaking tasks into small steps
- Providing choices
Lowering effort increases the likelihood that the child will choose the appropriate behavior.
Behavioral Contrast and Environmental Effects
Behavioral contrast occurs when changing reinforcement in one setting causes an opposite change elsewhere.
Example:
- A behavior is ignored at school
- That same behavior increases at home
Understanding the matching law helps caregivers coordinate reinforcement across environments to prevent these unintended effects.
Matching Law and Choice Making for Parents
Parents can apply the matching law at home by intentionally shaping the environment:
Tips for Parents To Apply Matching Law At Home:
- Reinforce positive behaviors immediately
- Make good behavior easier than problem behavior
- Use choices to increase cooperation
- Limit options to avoid overwhelm
- Ensure problem behavior does not “work” anymore
Example: Instead of saying “Clean your room now”, offer:
- “Do you want to pick up the Lego or the books first?”
Reinforce the choice immediately.
Why the Matching Law Matters in Autism Therapy
The matching law in ABA provides a framework for:
- Predicting behavior
- Understanding motivation
- Designing effective intervention programs
- Teaching functional communication
- Empowering children through choice
Rather than forcing compliance, ABA professionals use this principle to program environments where the best behavior is also the most reinforcing behavior.
Key Aspects of Matching Law and Choice in Autism
The Matching Law in ABA therapy explains how individuals with autism allocate their behavior based on where reinforcement is strongest. When multiple behaviors are available, behavior consistently flows toward the option that delivers the highest overall payoff.
Behavior and Reinforcement Ratio
Behavior occurs in proportion to how often it is reinforced relative to other behaviors.
Example:
- Screaming receives attention 70% of the time
- Asking for help receives attention 30% of the time
Result: The child is likely to scream about 70% of the time and ask for help 30% of the time. Behavior “matches” the reinforcement ratio.
Choice Making: Why Behavior Follows Reinforcement
When choices are available, individuals select the behavior that provides the:
- Fastest reinforcement
- Most frequent reinforcement
- Highest-quality reinforcement
This is why children with autism often appear to “prefer” certain behaviors; those behaviors simply work better.
Application of the Matching Law in ABA Therapy
ABA therapists use the matching law to:
- Identify what is currently reinforcing problem behavior
- Increase reinforcement for functional, appropriate alternatives
- Shift behavior by changing the environment rather than using punishment
For example, if a child chooses a simple task with high praise over a difficult task with little reward, the therapist increases reinforcement (tokens, praise, preferred items) for the difficult task so it becomes the better choice.
Using the Matching Law to Improve Choices
Increase Reinforcement for Positive Behaviors
Make appropriate behaviors more attractive by increasing:
- Frequency of reinforcement
- Quality of reinforcement
- Immediacy of reinforcement
Reduce Reinforcement for Challenging Behaviors
Ensure that problem behaviors no longer “pay off,” while simultaneously reinforcing an easier, appropriate alternative (differential reinforcement).
Consider Key Variables
Choice is influenced by more than just frequency:
- Response effort: How hard the behavior is
- Magnitude: Size or value of the reward
- Immediacy: How quickly reinforcement is delivered
Changing these variables shifts behavior naturally.
Common Examples in Autism Therapy and Daily Life
Communication Choices
A child uses vocal requests when they receive the snack 90% of the time, rather than using a picture system that is reinforced only 10% of the time.
Activity Preferences
A child chooses a tablet (high reinforcement) over a worksheet (high effort, low reinforcement), matching behavior to reward density.
Challenging Behavior
A student engages in disruption because it reliably results in escape from difficult tasks, while sitting quietly produces little reinforcement.
Social Interaction
A child prefers playing near a peer who gives frequent positive attention over one who rarely responds.
Key Factors Influencing Behavioral Choice
Behavior selection is driven by:
- Rate of reinforcement: How often rewards occur
- Magnitude of reinforcement: How valuable the reward is
- Response effort: How easy the behavior is
- Immediacy: How quickly reinforcement follows behavior
Therapists and caregivers can manipulate these variables to guide behavior toward positive outcomes.
Matching Law & ABA Therapy in Action: The Independent Worker
The Individual: Leo, a 7-year-old autistic student.
The Problem: Leo throws worksheets on the floor during independent work time.
The Goal: Increase work completion and reduce material throwing.
Step 1: Baseline (Before Intervention)
Behavior 1 – Throwing Papers
- Teacher responds immediately
- Leo receives attention and a 5-minute break
- Reinforcement: High (attention + escape)
Behavior 2 – Working
- Praise is delayed by 15 minutes
- No immediate reward
- Reinforcement: Low
Outcome: Leo throws materials 90% of the time because that behavior produces faster, better reinforcement.
Step 2: Intervention (Shifting Reinforcement)
For Working
- Token delivered every 2 minutes of work
- Completion earns a 2-minute iPad break
- Reinforcement is frequent, immediate, and high-quality
For Throwing
- No attention provided
- Leo must pick up materials before taking a break
- Increased effort and reduced payoff
Step 3: Outcome (After Applying the Matching Law)
Because working now produces more valuable reinforcement than throwing, Leo’s behavior reallocates.
Result: Leo completes work 80% of the time.
Key Choice Variables at Play
- Relative reinforcement rate: Working now pays off more
- Response effort: Throwing requires effort, making it less appealing
- Quality: iPad access outweighs attention alone
- Immediacy: Tokens provide instant feedback
At Kennedy ABA, our expert therapists create individualized programs using these principles to improve communication, cooperation, and daily functioning. Contact us today to help your child thrive.
FAQs
- What is the Matching Law in ABA therapy?
The Matching Law in ABA therapy states that behavior occurs in proportion to the reinforcement it receives. When multiple behaviors are available, individuals, including children with autism, are more likely to choose the behavior that produces the most frequent, immediate, or high-quality reinforcement. This is often summarized as “behavior goes where reinforcement flows.”
- How does the Matching Law apply to autism?
In autism intervention, the matching law helps explain why certain behaviors persist. If a child receives stronger or faster reinforcement for a challenging behavior (such as escape or attention) than for an appropriate behavior, the child will continue choosing the challenging behavior. ABA therapy uses this principle to shift reinforcement toward functional, adaptive behaviors.
- Why do children with autism choose challenging behaviors?
Children with autism are not choosing challenging behaviors to be defiant. According to the matching law, they are making logical choices based on reinforcement history. If screaming, tantrums, or aggression consistently produce better outcomes (attention, escape, access to items), those behaviors become the preferred option.
- How does ABA therapy use the Matching Law to reduce problem behavior?
ABA therapists analyze what is reinforcing a problem behavior and then:
- Reduce or remove that reinforcement
- Increase reinforcement for an appropriate replacement behavior
- Lower the effort required for positive behaviors
This shifts the child’s behavior toward choices that are more rewarding and socially appropriate.
- What factors influence choice-making under the Matching Law?
Choice making is influenced by several variables, including:
- Rate of reinforcement (how often rewards occur)
- Magnitude of reinforcement (how valuable the reward is)
- Response effort (how hard the behavior is)
- Immediacy (how quickly reinforcement is delivered)
ABA interventions adjust these factors to guide behavior in a positive direction.
- How can parents apply the Matching Law at home?
Parents can use the matching law by:
- Reinforcing positive behaviors immediately and consistently
- Making appropriate behaviors easier than problem behaviors
- Offering simple choices to increase cooperation
- Ensuring challenging behavior does not result in attention or escape
When positive behavior becomes the most rewarding option, children are more likely to choose it.
- What is a real-world example of the Matching Law in autism therapy?
If a child throws worksheets and receives immediate attention and a break, but working quietly earns delayed praise, the child will likely continue throwing materials. When reinforcement is shifted, such as providing frequent tokens and quick access to a preferred activity for working, the child reallocates behavior toward completing tasks. This is the matching law in action.
