Eric S. Murphy, Frances K. McSweeney, Richard G. Smith, & Jennifer J. McComas (2003).
Dynamic changes in reinforcer effectiveness: Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications for applied research.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
36, 421-438.
Reinforcers lose their effectiveness when they are presented repeatedly. Traditionally, this loss
of effectiveness has been labeled satiation. However, recent evidence suggests that habituation
provides a more accurate and useful description. The characteristics of behavior undergoing
satiation differ for different stimuli (e.g., food, water), and these characteristics have not been
identified for the noningestive reinforcers often used by applied behavior analysts (e.g., praise,
attention). As a result, the term satiation provides little guidance for either maintaining or
reducing the effectiveness of reinforcers. In contrast, the characteristics of behavior undergoing
habituation are well known and are relatively general across species and stimuli. These
characteristics provide specific and novel guidance about how to maintain or reduce the
effectiveness of a reinforcer. In addition, habituation may lead to a better understanding of
several puzzling phenomena in the conditioning literature (e.g., extinction, behavioral contrast),
and it may provide a more precise and accurate description of the dynamics of many different
types of behavior.
DESCRIPTORS: applied research, establishing operations, reinforcement, satiation, terminology