Noncontingent reinforcement: a further examination of schedule effects during treatment.

The team tested how thinning a noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) schedule affects problem behavior.

Three people first got a dense NCR schedule. The researchers then tried two thinning paths: one kept extinction, the other did not.

A multielement design let them compare the two paths head-to-head.

Dense NCR quickly cut problem behavior for all three.

When the schedule was thinned without extinction, the behavior bounced back.

Thinning plus extinction kept the gains, showing extinction is the guard rail you need.

Lancioni et al. (2009) had already called NCR plus extinction “well-established.” Lerner et al. (2012) zoom in on why: skip extinction and resurgence follows.

Slocum et al. (2018) and Kelley et al. (2023) now offer safer ways to thin. They add signals or multiple-schedule components so you can fade faster without the rebound D et al. saw.

Phillips et al. (2017) backs the core finding in the real world: NCR works for socially maintained behavior, but you still need a plan for thinning.

If you thin NCR without extinction, you risk giving the behavior a second life. Pair every thinning step with extinction, or borrow the newer signaled methods from Slocum et al. and Kelley et al. to stay safe. Check your data session-by-session; the first uptick is your cue to slow down or add extinction before the behavior regains strength.