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The Relative Contributions Of Preference And Functionality In Noncontingent Reinforcement Schedules, Tamara L. Pawich

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR), the response-independent delivery of reinforcers, has been demonstrated to be an effective response suppression method for a variety of problem behaviors displayed by children. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether preference for specific reinforcers to another context led to greater response suppression through an experimental comparison of NCR with a functional reinforcer versus preferred stimuli. Two preschool-aged children with autism and tantrums maintained by tangible reinforcement participated. Preference values were evaluated through paired-choice and competing stimulus assessments. Three preferred stimuli were selected for NCR-Preferred experimental conditions, based on varied levels of preference (i.e., …