title: Effects of reinforcer quality on behavioral momentum: coordinated applied and basic research.
abstract: The high-probability (high-p) instructional sequence has been an effective treatment for noncompliance. However, treatment failures have also been reported. We hypothesized that the efficacy of the high-p treatment may be improved by using higher quality reinforcers for compliance to high-p instructions. The resistance of compliance to change was tested by varying reinforcer quality in two applied studies and a basic laboratory experiment. Experiment 1 tested the hypothesis that an increase in reinforcer quality for high-p compliance will increase the effectiveness of the high-p treatment when it fails to increase compliance. Experiment 2 assessed the effects of reinforcer quality on resistance of compliance to change by presenting successive low-p requests following the high-p treatment. A basic laboratory study (Experiment 3) was conducted to further isolate the relation between reinforcer quality and behavioral momentum. Two different liquid reinforcers (sucrose and citric acid solutions) were presented in a two-component multiple variable-interval variable-interval schedule followed by a single extinction test session. Results of all three experiments showed a generally consistent relationship between reinforcer quality and behavioral momentum.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania, Children's Seashore House, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Mace
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Mauro
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Boyajian
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Eckert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule