Recent research on response disequilibrium theory: A concise review

Abstract

A resurgence in research on response disequilibrium theory has prompted a concise review of the literature from the past 5 years. Response disequilibrium, also known as response deprivation, attributes reinforcement and punishment effects to constraints on free‐operant baseline levels of behavior. By describing clinically relevant behaviors in terms of instrumental and contingent activities, researchers and practitioners can predict intervention outcomes with a disequilibrium model. We summarize the empirical outcomes of disequilibrium‐informed interventions across six articles and discuss areas of future research.