Time out from avoidance as a reinforcer: a study of response interaction.

SIDMAN (1962) worked with monkeys on an avoidance schedule. The animals could pull a chain to get a short break from the shocks.

The team asked: will the monkeys work to get that break? If yes, the break itself is a reinforcer.

The monkeys pulled the chain again and again. The break from avoidance kept their behavior strong.

Time-out, usually seen as punishment, worked as a reward here.

Mann et al. (1971) repeated the test with a twist. Some monkeys had to respond for the break; others got the same break for free. Both groups kept high response rates, showing the break itself is reinforcing.

Davison et al. (1995) later added cocaine to the same setup. The drug boosted the break-maintained behavior more than the plain avoidance behavior, proving the break has its own reinforcing power.

Baron et al. (1968) looks opposite at first glance. They used time-out to stop rats' food-reinforced pressing. Longer time-outs meant bigger suppression. Same procedure, different role: punishment here, reinforcement in 1962.

If you run avoidance or escape programs, remember that a brief break can strengthen the very response that earns it. Use tiny, scheduled breaks to keep clients working during hard tasks. Watch for accidental reinforcement of problem behavior when kids get removed from demands. Schedule, don't just remove.