Auditory reinforcement in profoundly retarded multiply handicapped children.

Profoundly retarded multiply handicapped children were placed in a situation where auditory stimulation was made contingent on a visually directed level-pulling response. Two experiments were performed. In the first, a technique for establishing an effective reinforcer from a range of possible reinforcing stimuli was evaluated. In the second experiment, a multiple schedule was used to compare the effectiveness of a reinforcer whose efficacy was established in Experiment 1 with a second auditory stimulus. The selection of auditory reinforcers and an evaluation of their relative potency was achieved using these techniques. The results show the feasibility of systematic measurement of operant-conditioning effects with very severely handicapped subjects in a laboratory situation. The information gained concerning the effectiveness of auditory reinforcers has implications for behavior-modification programs with these children.