Behavior is modified by its consequences irrespective of the person's awareness.

• A. Automaticity of Reinforcement
• B. Automatic Reinforcement
• C. Anecdotal Observation
• D. Accuracy

Answer: (A)

Automaticity of reinforcement is the idea that reinforcement can influence behavior even when the person does not know it is happening. The statement describes consequences that modify behavior regardless of awareness, which is exactly what this principle explains. While automatic reinforcement refers to the type of reinforcement that arises without social mediation, the emphasis here is on the lack of need for awareness to produce reinforcement. For example, a person may repeat a self-stimulatory behavior because its sensory outcome reinforces the behavior, even if they aren’t aware of that reinforcement. Anecdotal observation is just a way to collect information about behavior, and accuracy is simply a measure of correctness, not a mechanism of reinforcement.