EFFECTS OF NONCONTINGENT REINFORCEMENT ON PROBLEM BEHAVIOR AND STIMULUS ENGAGEMENT: THE ROLE OF SATIATION, EXTINCTION, AND ALTERNATIVE REINFORCEMENT

This study examined the effects of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) with and without extinction on problem behavior and stimulus engagement (consumption of reinforcement) of 4 participants. Reductions in problem behavior using NCR have frequently been attributed to both satiation of the reinforcer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied behavior analysis 2000-12, Vol.33 (4), p.433-449
Main Authors: Hagopian, Louis P., Crockett, Jennifer L., van Stone, Maureen, Deleon, Iser G., Bowman, Lynn G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
alternative reinforcement
Behavior disorders
Behavior modification
Behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child, Preschool
Emotions
extinction
Extinction, Psychological
Female
Humans
Intellectual Disability - psychology
Male
matching theory
Medical sciences
noncontingent reinforcement
problem behavior
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Reinforcement (Psychology)
satiation
Satiation - physiology
Self-Injurious Behavior - prevention & control
Self-Injurious Behavior - psychology
Social psychology
Treatments
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Summary:This study examined the effects of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) with and without extinction on problem behavior and stimulus engagement (consumption of reinforcement) of 4 participants. Reductions in problem behavior using NCR have frequently been attributed to both satiation of the reinforcer and extinction. In the current study, aspects of the NCR treatment effects were difficult to explain based solely on either a satiation or an extinction account. Specifically, it was found that stimulus engagement remained high throughout the NCR treatment analysis, and that problem behavior was reduced to near‐zero levels during NCR without extinction. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to the satiation and extinction hypotheses frequently described in the applied literature. Findings from basic studies examining the effects of response‐independent schedules are presented, and are used as the basis for a matching theory account of NCR‐related effects. It is proposed that reductions in problem behavior observed during NCR interventions may be a function of the availability of alternative sources of reinforcement.
ISSN:0021-8855
1938-3703
DOI:10.1901/jaba.2000.33-433