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Several techniques have been used in applied research as controls for the introduction of a reinforcement contingency, including extinction, noncontingent reinforcement (NCR), and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO). Little research, how-ever, has examined the relative strengths and limitations of these ‘‘reversal’ ’ controls. We compared the effects of extinction with those of NCR and DRO in both multi-element and reversal designs, with respect to (a) rate and amount of response decrement, (b) rate of response recovery following reintroduction of reinforcement, and (c) any positive or negative side effects associated with transitions. Results indicated that ex-tinction generally produced the most consistent and rapid reversal effects, with few observed negative side effects. DESCRIPTORS: differential reinforcement of other behavior, experimental design, extinction, noncontingent reinforcement, reinforcement control procedures A defining feature of applied behavior analysis is the use of single-subject experi-mental designs, in which a participant is ex-posed to at least one experimental condition involving the introduction of the indepen-dent variable and to at least one control con-dition in which the independent variable is absent. When the independent variable in-This research is based on a dissertation submitte