title: Multiple schedules in practical application: Research trends and implications for future investigation.
abstract: Researchers began studying multiple schedules in basic laboratories, but recent advances have extended research on multiple schedules to a wide variety of socially significant applications, especially during the last decade. Applied researchers have used multiple schedules to (a) promote stimulus control over high-rate appropriate behaviors, (b) thin the schedule of reinforcement following functional communication training, and (c) obtain stimulus control over problem behaviors maintained by automatic reinforcement. In the current paper, we reviewed 31 studies with 147 applications identified through a search of the applied literature on multiple schedules. Using these studies, we (a) reviewed the empirical literature on multiple schedules, (b) recommended multiple-schedule procedures that serve as best practice guidelines for applied behavior analysts, (c) identified the generality and boundaries of current knowledge about the effectiveness of multiple schedules, and (d) critically analyzed the literature to provide directions for future multiple-schedule research.
authors.affiliation: The University of Nebraska Medical Center's Munroe-Meyer Institute.
authors.forename: Valdeep
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.affiliation: The University of Nebraska Medical Center's Munroe-Meyer Institute.
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: The University of Nebraska Medical Center's Munroe-Meyer Institute.
authors.forename: Wayne W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Fisher
mesh_terms: D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D035841:Behavioral Research / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule
keywords: discrimination training; multiple schedules; reinforcement-schedule thinning; reviews; stimulus control