Behavioral Momentum
Also called: resistance to change, persistence
Definition
The tendency of behavior to persist when conditions change — when reinforcement is thinned, when a distraction is introduced, or when extinction begins. Behavior with a richer history of reinforcement in a context resists change more, by analogy with the momentum of a moving object. The high-probability request sequence is an application: a run of easy, reinforced responses carries over into a harder one.
In plain language
Behavior that has been rewarded a lot keeps going even when things change. A run of easy successes makes a hard request more likely to be followed.
Example
A learner asked to do three quick, easy tasks and praised for each is then far more likely to start the hard task that follows.
Not behavioral momentum
A newly learned skill that disappears the first time the technician is absent. That skill has little momentum.
See also
Written from
- nevin-1992
- mace-1988
Written from Nevin (1992) and Mace et al. (1988). No textbook glossary consulted.
This entry has not yet been through clinical review. Treat it as a draft.