Differential reinforcement of a target response is a necessary component of stimulus control transfer procedures. Recent research has further considered the timing (i.e., onset) of differential reinforcement of unprompted correct responding. To date, the onset of differential reinforcement has been inconsistently controlled in studies comparing skill acquisition programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. The current study serves as a systematic replication of prior comparative research to examine the effects of immediate and delayed differential reinforcement onset on the efficiency of acquisition for three individuals with developmental disabilities. The delayed onset of differential reinforcement required the fewest number of exposures to mastery per target across all comparisons. These findings failed to replicate those of prior research on differential reinforcement onset, possibly due to differences in participant characteristics, target tasks, or other required procedural modifications. Considerations for future research on differential reinforcement procedures in skill acquisition programs are described.

目标反应的差异强化是刺激控制转移程序的必要组成部分。最近的研究进一步考虑了自发正确反应的差异强化的时机（即开始）。迄今为止，在比较发育障碍个体的技能获取计划的研究中，差异强化的开始一直受到不一致的控制。目前的研究是对先前比较研究的系统复制，以检查立即和延迟差异强化开始对三个发育障碍个体获得效率的影响。在所有比较中，差异强化的延迟开始需要最少的暴露次数来掌握每个目标。这些发现未能复制先前关于差异强化开始的研究，可能是由于参与者特征、目标任务或其他所需的程序修改的差异。描述了未来研究技能获取计划中的差异强化程序的考虑因素。