Negative reinforcer magnitude manipulations for treating escape-maintained problem behavior.

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of different magnitudes of escape for compliance relative to the magnitudes of escape for problem behavior in a concurrent-schedule arrangement. Three individuals who exhibited escape-maintained problem behavior participated. A large differential magnitude condition (240-s escape for compliance, 10-s escape for problem behavior) was compared to equal (30-s escape for compliance and problem behavior) and moderate differential magnitude (90-s escape for compliance, 10-s escape for problem behavior) conditions. The authors also evaluated the impact of correcting for reinforcer access time (i.e., time on escape intervals) on intervention interpretation. For all participants, problem behavior decreased during only the large differential magnitude condition, and including reinforcer access time in the overall session time did not affect interpretation of treatment outcomes. Providing larger escape magnitudes for compliance relative to problem behavior may facilitate treatment involving concurrent-reinforcement schedules for escape-maintained problem behavior.