The effects of presession exposure to attention on the results of assessments of attention as a reinforcer.

McSweeney et al. (2000) ran three small lab tests.

Before each test, some participants got lots of adult attention. Others got none.

Then the team checked if the participants would work for more attention.

People who just had a “attention party” still pressed a button to get more.

Their response looked stronger than the no-attention group.

The extra attention right before the test made attention seem like a super-power reinforcer.

Rispoli et al. (2016) saw the same carry-over, but with toys. Kids who played first acted calmer for 60 min.

Okouchi et al. (2006) showed that past reward rate, not just amount, can speed later responding.

Dove et al. (1974) proved that old schedules stick: pigeons trained on ratio later responded differently on time-based food. All these papers echo one rule—what happened last shapes what happens next.

If you test whether attention fuels behavior right after a fun session, you may over-call its power. Schedule your reinforcer checks after a steady, low-attention baseline. That gives you a true picture and saves you from picking the wrong intervention.