Timeout from a high-force requirement as a reinforcer: An effective procedure for human operant research.

Highlights: [•] A new procedure to study human operant conditioning is described using a rest force period as reinforcer when high force was required. [•] Experiment 1 reports evidence that the rest force period acts as a reinforcer. [•] Experiment 2 demonstrates sensitivity to delay as a parameter of choice in a self-control paradigm. [•] The results of the two experiments indicate a functional similarity between primary reinforcers used in non-human subjects and the present reinforcer. [•] So this procedure is well-suited to study operant conditioning in humans. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]