The Effects of Extinction, Noncontingent Reinforcement, and Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior as Control Procedures

Abstract

Several techniques have been used in applied research as controls for the introduction of a reinforcement contingency, including extinction, noncontingent reinforcement (NCR), and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO). Little research, however, has examined the relative strengths and limitations of these “reversal” controls. We compared the effects of extinction with those of NCR and DRO in both multielement and reversal designs, with respect to (a) rate and amount of response decrement, (b) rate of response recovery following reintroduction of reinforcement, and (c) any positive or negative side effects associated with transitions. Results indicated that extinction generally produced the most consistent and rapid reversal effects, with few observed negative side effects.

Effects of adjusting DRO schedules on the reduction of stereotypic vocalizations in children with autism

“…Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is a procedure in which reinforcement is delivered if a target response does not occur during a given period of time, thus involving a contingency between the absence of a response and the delivery of the reinforcer (Repp, Felce, & Barton, 1991;Thompson, Iwata, Hanley, Dozier, & Samaha, 2003). In this schedule, there is a zero probability of reinforcement given a target response but an increased probability of reinforcement given the absence of a target response.…”

“…On the other hand, LeBlanc et al (2000) increased the requirement by 33-50% each time the DRO value met criterion. Still, Thompson et al (2003) increased the duration of the requirements by setting them equal to the mean IRT of the last 4 sessions, resulting in a self-adjusting DRO. Thus, with a variety of methods to increase the duration of the requirement, there is still a lack of empirical evidence indicating the most effective way to do so.…”

An Example of Discovery Research Involving the Transfer of Stimulus Control

“…For some participants, lever pulling increased following the delivery of the tokens relative to periods in which tokens were not delivered. Thompson, Iwata, Hanley, Dozier and Samaha (2003) reported similar results when they compared extinction, differential reinforcement of other behavior (i.e., reinforcement is delivered contingent on not engaging in the target response), and noncontingent reinforcement (i.e., reinforcement is delivered independent of responding) as control procedures for simple appetitive responses in adults with developmental disabilities. Extinction resulted in the most rapid reduction in responding, in that the delivery of reinforcement under the two other conditions continued to occasion responding.…”

Efeitos de dois procedimentos de suspensão da dependência entre contingências comportamentais entrelaçadas e eventos culturais

“…Um dos procedimentos de controle mais largamente utilizados é a extinção padrão, na qual se suspende a apresentação de um estímulo previamente estabelecido como reforçador de uma resposta 2005;Thompson, Iwata, Hanley, Dozier & Samaha, 2003). A aplicação desse procedimento tem gerado sistemática redução na taxa de respostas previamente reforçadas, evidenciando o poder do evento reforçador no controle do comportamento (Lerman & Iwata, 1996; 2005; Thompson et al, 2003 ).…”

“…A aplicação desse procedimento tem gerado sistemática redução na taxa de respostas previamente reforçadas, evidenciando o poder do evento reforçador no controle do comportamento (Lerman & Iwata, 1996; 2005; Thompson et al, 2003 ). Contudo, a suspensão da dependência entre respostas e reforços promovida por esse procedimento envolve a sobreposição de dois efeitos: os 1 O termo "extinção" se refere tanto a um procedimento quanto a um processo.…”