Schedule control with a synchronous reinforcement treadmill preparation: A replication and extension

Pinkston et al. (2024) provided 17 participants with their high-preference music for increasing and decreasing their walking speeds on a treadmill. The results showed that high-preference music produced schedule control of walking speed for 14 of 17 (82.35%) participants. In addition, Pinkston et al. found that 78.57% of participants whose walking showed schedule control also displayed variable responding during an extinction component. As an extension of Pinkston et al., we presented 25 participants with their high-preference music for walking on a treadmill during a five-component mixed schedule wherein the synchronous reinforcement components contained larger and nonoverlapping bands for contacting the synchronous reinforcer. Schedule control emerged for 18 of 25 (72%) participants. In addition, 14 (77.78%) participants whose behavior showed schedule control also displayed considerable variability in walking speed during the extinction component. Implications and future research directions for promoting health-related behaviors are discussed.