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Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis logoLink to Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
. 2000 Spring;33(1):79–83. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2000.33-79

The effects of noncontingent delivery of high- and low-preference stimuli on attention-maintained destructive behavior.

W W Fisher 1, J T O'Connor 1, P F Kurtz 1, I G DeLeon 1, D L Gotjen 1
PMCID: PMC1284224  PMID: 10738954

Abstract

An adolescent with severe mental retardation and cerebral palsy who displayed attention-maintained destructive behavior was exposed to noncontingent reinforcer delivery (NCR) with either a high-preference or a low-preference stimulus while reinforcement for destructive behavior with attention remained in effect (i.e., NCR without extinction). NCR without extinction was effective only when the high-preference stimulus was available, suggesting that systematic assessment of stimulus quality may enhance the effectiveness of NCR with alternative stimuli.

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Selected References

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