Big Surprises: Jackpot Reinforcers in Research and Practice

Unusually large, infrequent reinforcers, described as jackpots, are the subject of considerable discussion among applied animal behaviorists. Such reinforcers offer considerable promise in applied behavior analysis as a means of both potentiating training of new responses and response classes and enhancing previously learned ones. The concept of jackpot reinforcement, however, is rife with not only a lack of definitional and procedural clarity but also a paucity of research, either basic or applied, on such reinforcement. Considerations in undertaking such research include defining the parameters of jackpot reinforcers, identifying suitable dependent variables, and creating experimental designs appropriate for their assessment. The few experimental analyses of jackpot reinforcer effects on either response acquisition or maintenance have produced little evidence of systematic effects, despite the use of several different methods and behavioral measures. Negative results could reflect either the absence of systematic effects of these jackpot reinforcers or unsuitable methods of analysis. Only further research will take the topic of jackpot reinforcers beyond opinion and testimonial and into the realm of the science of behavior.