On the effects of noncontingent food delivery during naturally occurring periods of deprivation and satiation

Four adults diagnosed with moderate to profound mental retardation performed a manual response that was reinforced with food identified from a stimulus preference assessment. During baseline, the response was reinforced on a variable ratio (VR) schedule. Participants were then exposed to noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) plus extinction, and no-food (i.e., extinction) conditions. A combination multielement and reversal design was used to evaluate intervention effects. For each participant, sessions were conducted both before and after the midday meal during baseline and NCR-plus-extinction conditions, thus capitalizing on naturally occurring states of food deprivation and satiation. Results showed that response rates were slightly higher during deprivation sessions than during satiation sessions during NCR-plus-extinction and VR schedules for three of the four participants. For three participants, initial NGR schedules did not reduce responding; however, subsequent NCR schedules, which were twice as dense, were effective in reducing response rates. The results are discussed in terms of the development of NCR as a reductive technology and the manipulation of establishing operations applied to the habilitation of individuals with developmental disabilities. The use of a basic experimental preparation as a method of examining decelerative interventions is also addressed. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.