Tiffany Kodak, Dorothea C. Lerman, & Nathan Call (2007).
Evaluating the influence of postsession reinforcement on choice of reinforcers.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
40, 515-527.
Factors that influence reinforcer choice have been examined in a number of
applied studies (e.g., Neef, Mace, Shea, & Shade, 1992; Shore, Iwata, DeLeon,
Kahng, & Smith, 1997; Tustin, 1994). However, no applied studies have evaluated
the effects of postsession reinforcement on choice between concurrently
available reinforcers, even though basic findings indicate that this is an
important factor to consider (Hursh, 1978; Zeiler, 1999). In this bridge
investigation, we evaluated the influence of postsession reinforcement on
choice of two food items when task responding was reinforced on
progressive-ratio schedules. Participants were 3 children who had been
diagnosed with developmental disabilities. Results indicated that response
allocation shifted from one food item to the other food item under thinner
schedules of reinforcement when no postsession reinforcement was provided.
These findings suggest that the efficacy of instructional programs or treatments
for problem behavior may be improved by restricting reinforcers outside
treatment sessions.
DESCRIPTORS: choice, behavioral economics, postsession reinforcement, substitutability