Effects of fixed-time reinforcement schedules on resurgence of problem behavior.

Four children first learned a new communication response instead of hitting or screaming.

Then the team stopped paying for the new response. They still gave a tiny candy or toy every few minutes no matter what the child did.

The goal was to see if these free goodies would stop the old problem behavior from coming back.

Problem behavior stayed at zero. The kids also kept asking nicely even though no one paid for it anymore.

The free treats given on a fixed-time schedule wiped out resurgence for every child.

Johnston et al. (2017) saw the opposite in a lab: richer reinforcement made resurgence worse. The key difference is richness. M et al. used lean, response-independent goodies while Smith used rich, response-based pay.

Smith et al. (2024) also found that piling on extra reinforcers during DRA caused a bigger bounce-back. Again, the clinical lean FT schedule in M et al. avoided this trap.

Fisher et al. (2020) showed that adding a clear S-delta during extinction cuts resurgence too. You can pair that cue with the lean FT schedule for a double shield.

After you fade DRA, keep a skinny FT schedule running for a week or two. One small reinforcer every five minutes is enough. It blocks relapse without teaching kids to wait for freebies. You guard the new communication and keep problem behavior gone.