Which term describes the behavior that is maintained by the sensory input produced by the behavior itself?

• A. Self-stimulation function
• B. Automatic reinforcement
• C. Social reinforcement
• D. Tangible reinforcement

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that reinforcement comes from the sensory consequences produced by the behavior itself. When the reinforcing effect is the appearance of sensory input generated by the behavior, we describe the behavior as having a self-stimulation function. This emphasizes that the motive for the behavior is the self-produced stimulation, not something from another person or a tangible reward. Social reinforcement would involve attention or praise from others, tangible reinforcement would be a reward like a toy or object, and automatic reinforcement is the broader category of reinforcement from sensory consequences produced by the behavior. Saying the function is a self-stimulation function captures that the self-generated sensory input is maintaining the behavior.