Citation

Wilder DA, Ertel HM, Cymbal DJ. Behav. Modif. 2020; ePub(ePub): 145445520908509.

Affiliation

Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0145445520908509

PMID

32107925

Abstract

Response effort refers to the distance, force/pressure, or number of discrete behaviors required to engage in a response. In applied behavior analysis, response effort has been used as an independent variable to address a variety of target responses. In this manuscript, we summarize recent clinical and organizational studies in which response effort was manipulated to increase a desirable behavior or decrease a problematic behavior. Recent clinical applications include the manipulation of response effort to decrease self-injurious behavior and pica and increase appropriate eating, compliance, and manding. Recent organizational applications include the manipulation of response effort to increase safety and recycling. We also review the collection of data on treatment integrity, social validity, and maintenance in response effort research and analyze the effectiveness of response effort manipulations. We conclude by discussing the putative behavioral mechanisms responsible for the effects of response effort manipulations and by providing some directions for future research.

Language: en

Keywords

compliance; recycling; response effort; safety; self-injury