Response-independent schedules of reinforcement (e.g., fixed-time schedules) have typically been shown to decrease the rate of responding. However, researchers have suggested that responses may maintain under response-independent schedules, although it is currently unclear as to what mechanisms are responsible for this maintenance. The purposes of the current study were to (a) replicate previou...

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) consists of delivering a reinforcer on a time-based schedule, independent of responding. Studies evaluating the effectiveness of NCR as treatment for problem behavior have used fixed-time (FT) schedules of reinforcement. In this study, the efficacy of NCR with variable-time (VT) schedules was evaluated by comparing the effects of VT and FT reinforcement schedul...