ENHANCING TOLERANCE TO DELAYED REINFORCERS: THE ROLE OF INTERVENING ACTIVITIES

Abstract
Three participants with moderate to profound mental retardation were exposed to choices between an immediate small amount and a delayed larger amount of a preferred reinforcer. All participants initially showed a relatively high preference for the smaller reinforcer, suggesting impulsive choice making. However this preference reversed, suggesting self‐control, when the larger reinforcer was available immediately and, over time, its delay was gradually increased. Results highlight the potential utility of incorporating concurrent activities into self‐control training paradigms.

This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit: