Non-Contingent ReinforcementReinforcement is a fundamental concept in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and behavioral psychology. It refers to any consequence that follows a behavior and increases the likelihood that the behavior... More (NCR) is a procedure where access to a preferred item, activity, or reinforcerA reinforcer is any consequence or stimulus that, when presented after a behavior, increases or maintains the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the futu... More is provided at fixed intervals, regardless of the individual’s behaviorBehavior refers to any activity or action that living organisms engage in, which can be observed, measured, and analyzed. It encompasses all interactions an organism has with its environment, inc... More. The goal is to reduce problem behaviors by making the reinforcer freely available, thus acting as an abolishing operation (reducing the motivation to engage in the problem behavior to access the reinforcer).
Example
A child often engages in disruptive behavior to gain attention from their teacher. To reduce this behavior, the teacher implements non-contingent reinforcement by giving the child attention every 5 minutes, regardless of the child’s behavior. Over time, the disruptive behavior decreases because the child no longer needs to act out to gain attention.