A translational evaluation of the interpolated reinforcement procedure with young children

Abstract

The interpolated reinforcement procedure (IRP) involves the deliberate continuous reinforcement of a previously intermittently reinforced behavior prior to implementing extinction. Basic research on the IRP has produced equivocal findings, and applied research has suffered from methodological limitations. The present study was an evaluation of the IRP with typically developing young children and a nonclinical target behavior. The IRP was demonstrated in only two of five participants. The results are discussed in the context of the IRP's clinical utility given the unreliability of the finding. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.