Contingencies of Reinforcement and Behavioral Momentum: Research and Applications

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John A. Nevin

Abstract

A discriminative operant is defined by the combination of an antecedent stimulus, a response, and a reinforcer. The response-reinforcer contingency determines the rate of the response, and the stimulus-reinforcer contingency determined the resis­tance to change of that response rate. The product of response rate and its resis­tance to change is characterized metaphorically as behavioral momentum. This article describes sorne basic research on the determiners of momentum and discus­ses some applications of momentum analyses in clinical and educational settings. Some more speculative applications to business and industry, international war, and problems of sustainable development are also considered.

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How to Cite
Nevin, J. A. (2011). Contingencies of Reinforcement and Behavioral Momentum: Research and Applications. Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis, 21(3), 107–122. https://doi.org/10.5514/rmac.v21.i1.ESP.25419