The term noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) refers to the delivery of an aberrant behavior's known reinforcer on a response-independent basis. The typical result is a decrease in responding from baseline (i.e., reinforcement) levels. NCR has become one of the most reported function-based treatments for aberrant behavior in the recent literature. The purpose of this review is to briefly discuss the history of the procedure and summarize the findings from the treatment research literature. The review is organized into the following sections: (a) basic research on NCR, (b) NCR as a control procedure, (c) NCR as a function-based treatment, (d) considerations in the programming of NCR schedules, (e) behavior-change mechanisms underlying NCR effects, and (t) directions for future research.

Child Behavior Disorders↗

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Functional analysis of aberrant behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement: assessments of specific sensory reinforcers.

The purpose of this study was to develop a systematic functional assessment package for aberrant behaviors maintained by nonsocial (automatic) reinforcement. The assessment package included four components: (1) functional analysis, (2) antecedent assessment of specific automatic reinforcement sources, (3) stimulus preference assessment, and (4) treatment evaluation. Functional analysis data indicated automatic reinforcement functions of the stereotypy exhibited by a 10-year-old male and the self-injury (SIB) exhibited by a 30-year-old male. Antecedent assessments of sensory classes indicated that auditory stimulation and tactile stimulation were associated with stereotypy and SIB, respectively. A multiple-stimulus-without-replacement procedure was conducted with each participant to identify the most- and least-preferred stimuli within the identified sensory classes. In an attempt to validate the assessment package for each participant, a DRO procedure was implemented using a reversal design with a multielement component. DRO procedures using stimuli within the targeted sensory classes were successful in eliminating the aberrant behaviors of both participants. The results are discussed in the context of improving the methodology for assessing and treating automatically reinforced behaviors.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A variation of noncontingent reinforcement in the treatment of aberrant behavior.

We examined the effectiveness of a variation of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) that incorporated a stimulus-delay procedure in the reduction of aberrant behavior maintained by positive reinforcement. Functional analyses for three individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities indicated that their behaviors were maintained by positive reinforcement: one in the form of access to a tangible item, another by attention, and the third by physical contact. We implemented NCR with the delay procedure with two participants using reversal designs to evaluate effects. We also compared this NCR variation and DRO with the third participant to evaluate reinforcer-delivery rates. The variation of NCR was successful in reducing all aberrant behavior to near-zero levels. A comparison of reinforcer delivery between NCR with the stimulus-delay procedure and DRO demonstrated that the participant accessed more reinforcement with NCR. Results are discussed in the context of enhancing decelerative interventions with emphases on minimizing response effort for caregivers and maximizing access to reinforcement for the individuals.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of pictorial versus tangible stimuli in stimulus-preference assessments.

Recent research in the area of stimulus-preference assessment has progressively improved the accuracy and efficiency of this technology for predicting reinforcer potency. One way to potentially improve the efficiency of the procedure might be to use pictorial representations of stimuli in the assessment rather than the stimuli themselves. To determine the feasibility of using pictorial stimuli in preference assessments, multiple-stimulus preference assessments were conducted with two adults diagnosed with mental retardation using both tangible stimuli and pictorial cards representing these same stimuli. The tangibles stimulus assessment produced greater variations in selection percentages than the pictorial assessment. Subsequent reinforcer assessments confirmed that stimuli predicted by the tangibles assessment were more potent reinforcers than those predicted by the pictorial assessment. The results are discussed in the context of improving stimulus-preference assessment technology.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Further evaluation of the multiple-stimulus preference assessment.

Previously researchers have shown that multiple-stimulus preference assessments can produce results comparable to those achieved using the paired-stimulus presentation format. However, extensive experimental validation of this procedure has not yet been accomplished. The purpose of this study was to provide a systematic extension of a study reported by DeLeon and Iwata (1996). We conducted brief stimulus preference assessments with nine participants diagnosed with severe or profound mental retardation. The highest ranked stimuli were then delivered contingent on a target behavior in a multielement format. The stimulus identified as most highly preferred functioned as a reinforcer in six of the nine participants. The results of this study are discussed in the context of current stimulus preference assessment findings.

Adult↗