Deconstructing relative reinforcing efficacy and situating the measures ofpharmacological reinforcement with behavioral economics: a theoretical proposal

Background: Relative reinforcing efficacy has been assumed to be a homogene ous phenomenon referring to the behavior-strengthening or behavior-maintain ing effects of a drug reinforcer. However, a variety of studies suggest tha t relative reinforcing efficacy may be heterogeneous. Objectives: The purpo se of this theoretical proposal is to examine the difficulties associated w ith this conception of reinforcing efficacy and to explore whether relative reinforcing efficacy is a homogenous concept or whether it is composed of several functionally related heterogeneous phenomena. In examining this iss ue, we explore whether behavioral economic theory may address some of the c hallenges to the current conception of relative reinforcing efficacy and us e this theory to suggest how the differing measures of reinforcing efficacy may relate to one another. Results: Results indicate that peak-response ra te and breakpoint are related to the economic measure of maximal output and elasticity of demand, respectively. Preference is related to and predicted by the relative location of the demand curves obtained under single schedu le conditions. This behavioral economic analysis may provide a theoretical understanding of reinforcement that can reconcile results of studies that b oth support and fail to support the notion of reinforcing efficacy as a hom ogenous phenomenon. Conclusions: If this theoretical proposal is validated by additional studies, then like other natural phenomena found to be hetero geneous, the study of drug reinforcers may require the adoption of several new scientific terms, such as those used in behavioral economics, each of w hich has analytical precision and refers to homogeneous phenomena.