Does supplementary reinforcement of stereotypy facilitate extinction?
Giving social praise for stereotypy before extinction does nothing useful—go straight to NCR or DR instead.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked a simple question. If you give extra social praise for stereotypy right before you start extinction, does that make the behavior stronger or weaker later?
They ran a single-case test with participants whose stereotypy seemed to run on automatic reinforcement. First they showered the behavior with social praise. Then they stopped all reinforcement and watched what happened.
What they found
The extra praise did not bump stereotypy up or down. When extinction began, the behavior faded only after the staff added noncontingent reinforcement. Social praise beforehand was a non-event.
In short, the add-on reinforcement was busy work. It neither fed the stereotypy nor sped its drop.
How this fits with other research
Ding et al. (2017) extends this null result. They showed that matched-sensory NCR plus trial-based DRO does cut stereotypy. Together the papers draw a clear line: supplementary social praise is neutral, but well-designed NCR works.
Dyer (1987) is a predecessor that first proved powerful external reinforcers can compete with stereotypy. The target study tests a lighter, social-only version and finds no competition, updating the earlier claim.
Falligant et al. (2020) and Tassé et al. (2013) both used response-interruption packages and saw quick drops. Their positive results contrast with the target's flat outcome, highlighting that method matters more than mere extinction.
Why it matters
Skip the extra praise phase. Move straight to noncontingent sensory reinforcement or differential procedures that have data behind them. You save session time and avoid giving any accidental attention to the very behavior you want to shrink.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Results of several studies suggest that delivery of supplemental (social) reinforcement for stereotypy might facilitate its subsequent extinction. We examined this possibility with 9 subjects who engaged in stereotypy by including methodological refinements to ensure that (a) subjects' stereotypy was maintained in the absence of social consequences, (b) supplementary reinforcers were highly preferred and were shown to be reinforcers for some behavior, and (c) subjects were exposed to lengthy reinforcement and extinction conditions. In spite of these modifications, only 4 subjects' stereotypy increased when supplementary reinforcement was delivered contingent on stereotypy, and no subject's stereotypy decreased below initial baseline levels when social reinforcement was subsequently withheld. Decreases in stereotypy occurred with the implementation of noncontingent reinforcement. Thus, delivery of supplementary reinforcers either did not increase stereotypy or did not facilitate extinction of stereotypy maintained by automatic reinforcement. We discuss the practical and conceptual bases of these results with respect to our current understanding of function-based interventions.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2013 · doi:10.1002/jaba.15