What is the main goal of Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI)?

Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI) focuses on reducing an undesirable behavior by reinforcing a behavior that cannot occur simultaneously with that undesirable behavior. For instance, if a child is frequently out of their seat, DRI would involve reinforcing a behavior such as sitting in the seat, which is incompatible with the act of standing up.

In this context, the main goal of DRI is effectively to promote and reinforce behaviors that are incompatible with the undesired behavior, leading to its reduction. This means that by reinforcing behaviors that conflict with the target behavior, the likelihood of the target behavior occurring decreases. The strategy aligns with behavior modification techniques aimed at conditioning responses in a way that one behavior eliminates the chance of another.