The influence of exchange delays on cigarette versus money choice: A laboratory analog of voucher-based reinforcement therapy

Contingency-management interventions that provide reinforcement in the form of exchangeable vouchers, contingent on drug abstinence, are among the most effective substance abuse treatment strategies available. Factors known to contribute to the efficacy of these interventions include voucher magnitude and the schedule with which vouchers are made available. Another potential factor may be the delay between earning a voucher and exchanging it for a desired good or service. The authors adapted a laboratory analog of a voucher program to examine the effects of immediacy of reinforcement and its interaction with reinforcer magnitude. Abstinent cigarette smokers made repeated choices between puffs on a cigarette and points worth a variety of monetary values (10o-$2). The time at which these points could be exchanged for money varied from the end of the session to 1 or 3 weeks. Results indicated that longer exchange delays and lower magnitude reinforcers increased the number of choices for drug.