Teaching self-control with qualitatively different reinforcers.
Start self-control training with tiny delays to the big reinforcer and stretch them gradually—kids will work longer for the better payoff.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team worked with one teen who had an intellectual disability.
They used a changing-criterion design.
Each week they stretched the wait time a little longer before the student could get the better prize.
What they found
The teen stayed on task longer as the delay grew.
By the end he could wait several minutes for the top-choice item.
The study showed positive results.
How this fits with other research
Clarke et al. (2003) did the same stretch-the-wait trick, but gave kids fun activities during the pause.
Carlin et al. (2012) proves you don’t need toys; just using a cooler prize is enough.
Vessells et al. (2018) later added sound signals and got even longer waits, building on the same fade-in plan.
Finch et al. (2024) looked at 25 similar tests and found most kids succeed when any support—toys, signals, or better prizes—is faded in slowly.
Why it matters
You can copy this Monday: pick a high-value reinforcer the learner already loves, start with zero wait, then add five seconds every few trials. No extra toys or timers needed. The simple fade grows self-control and keeps kids working for the bigger payoff.
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Join Free →Pick the learner’s top reinforcer, deliver it immediately once, then add a five-second delay next trial and keep stretching.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined the effectiveness of using qualitatively different reinforcers to teach self-control to an adolescent boy who had been diagnosed with an intellectual disability. First, he was instructed to engage in an activity without programmed reinforcement. Next, he was instructed to engage in the activity under a two-choice fixed-duration schedule of reinforcement. Finally, he was exposed to self-control training, during which the delay to a more preferred reinforcer was initially short and then increased incrementally relative to the delay to a less preferred reinforcer. Self-control training effectively increased time on task to earn the delayed reinforcer.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2012 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2012.45-853