Further Analysis of the Response Deprivation Hypothesis: Application of the Disequilibrium Model to Novel Clinical Contexts

Abstract

Behaviors are considered instrumental when they produce opportunities to engage in other activities (i.e., contingent actions). By manipulating opportunities to engage in instrumental/contingent activities, practitioners can alter the direction and magnitude of instrumental behavior using principles of disequilibrium theory. Though previously unexplored, these models may have utility in clinical contexts involving automatically maintained behavior. In the current study, we sought to provide a brief demonstration of the potential generality and applicability of this model to clinical contexts involving automatic behavior, schedule thinning, and novel response dimensions.