Effects of reinforcer choice measured in single-operant and concurrent-schedule procedures.

The effects of choice and no choice of reinforcer on the response rates of 3 children with autism were compared across single-operant and concurrent-schedule procedures. No consistent differences in responding between choice and no-choice components emerged during single-operant phases. During the concurrent-schedule phases, however, all participants had substantially higher rates of responding to the button that led to a choice among reinforcers than to the button that did not lead to choice.