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Concurrent Operants: A Model for Stimulus Control Transfer Using Delayed Prompting

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Abstract

A review of the literature is presented regarding the transfer of stimulus control in delayed prompting. A historical overview of the development of delayed prompting traces the origin of these techniques in the experimental analysis of behavior through to their use in applied behavior analysis. Currently, the cause(s) for stimulus control transfer in delayed prompting are unknown. A conceptual model, stemming from the work of Touchette and Howard (1984), is presented that may allow for a greater understanding of why transfer of stimulus control occurs with delayed prompting. It is shown that a model based upon concurrent schedules of reinforcement juxtaposing constant and progressive schedules may account for how delay of reinforcement and response effort interact during training to shift stimulus control of behavior from prompted to unprompted responding. The paper concludes with a summary of the utility of conceptualizing the mechanism responsible for the transfer of stimulus control in delayed prompting in terms of a concurrent schedule of reinforcement.

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  1. Craig H. Kennedy

    Present address: College of Education, University of Hawaii, 1776 University Avenue, Wist 208, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

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  1. University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

    Craig H. Kennedy

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The author thanks Marta Valdez-Mencheca for providing the occasion to write this paper and James Halle, Richard Laitinen, and Tiina Itkonen for their comments on a previous draft of the manuscript. Issues raised by the reviewers were also greatly appreciated.

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Kennedy, C.H. Concurrent Operants: A Model for Stimulus Control Transfer Using Delayed Prompting. Psychol Rec 42, 525–540 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03399620

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