What strategy can enhance maintenance of a behavior?

The choice of presenting tasks in the absence of formal programming is a strategy that can enhance the maintenance of a behavior. This approach encourages the organic application of learned skills in various contexts, allowing individuals to practice and generalize behaviors in real-life situations. When individuals engage with tasks outside of structured environments, they can reinforce their learning and adapt behaviors to meet different demands, which supports long-term maintenance.

By utilizing informal settings, the frequency of practice and application increases. It helps to solidify the behavior, as it is not limited to a specific context or reinforcement schedule. This can lead to a better understanding and retention of the behavior over time.

Other strategies, such as using continuous reinforcement or restricting practice post-mastery, could limit exposure to the behavior and may hinder long-term retention. Eliminating reinforcement entirely would likely lead to a decrease in the behavior's occurrence, making it less sustainable in the long run. Thus, presenting tasks in varied and informal contexts is a constructive way to promote the ongoing application of newly learned behaviors.