Assessing Preference for Activities and Instructional Contexts

Many teachers of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are familiar with traditional preference assessment methodologies to identify high-preferred items. Traditional preference assessments are valuable; however, they may not be appropriate when identifying preferences for some educational activities and instructional contexts. The concurrent-chains preference assessment (CCPA) is a preference assessment variation that has been effectively used with students with ASD to identify preferred and nonpreferred activities and contexts. This article introduces teachers to the CCPA and discusses its utility and applications for students with ASD, as well as recommendations for effective implementation.

Behavioral effects of changeover delays in a concurrent-chains schedule with different delays and magnitudes of reinforcement

The present study examined the effects of a changeover delay (COD) on the choice between smaller, shorter delayed reinforcement and larger, longer delayed reinforcement in a complex concurrent-chains schedule. Four pigeons were exposed to three conditions in an ABA or BAB reversal design. A COD of 2 seconds was included in the initial links during condition B. The concurrent-chains schedule had identical variable-interval schedules in the initial links and different delays and magnitudes of reinforcement that were programmed according to a fixed-ratio 10 (FR10) schedule in the terminal links. Each experimental condition lasted for two long sessions and five short sessions. Changeover rates were lower, and preference for the larger, longer delayed reinforcer was more pronounced during conditions with the programmed 2-second COD. The analysis of initial pauses and running rates during the FR10 schedules of the terminal links revealed no systematic effects of the COD on behavior in the terminal links. The COD had similar effects on choice performance in this modified concurrent-chain procedure as on simple concurrent performance.Keywords: Choice behavior, concurrent-chains, COD, self-control paradigm, pigeons.

Preference for Alternative Communication Modality Based on Reinforcer Quality and Availability

Preference for augmentative or alternative communication (AAC) systems has received growing interest in work with individuals with developmental disabilities. An individual may choose a modality based on technological (e.g., auditory-output) or aesthetic features of a system; however, it is ideal that functional features (i.e., effectiveness in producing a reinforcer) affect preference to a much greater extent. Prior research has treated preference as a static variable and may commonly report a lack of preference for a modality or control by irrelevant features of the assessment (e.g., position of the modality in an array). The current study assessed the preference for AAC modalities of a teenager with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability using a concurrent-chains procedure. This study extended prior research by including additional methods to ensure accurate assessment of preference (i.e., a control condition) and a reinforcer manipulation to determine whether preference was controlled by non-functional (e.g., aesthetic) or functional (i.e., reinforcer quality and availability) variables. Preference was found to be functionally related to reinforcer availability, including when rapidly alternated between modalities. Moreover, the participant consistently allocated responding away from the control condition. Implications for self-determination and suggestions for future research on preference for AAC systems are considered.

Effect of initial-link length on the sensitivity of the post-reinforcer delay

For a long time, post-reinforcer delays have been considered to have no effect on choice. The most influential choice models therefore do not consider such delays. Recently, however, some studies reported that post-reinforcer delays affect choice behavior in pigeons. One such study (Mazur, 2006) concluded that a short initial link increases the sensitivity to post-reinforcer delays in concurrent-chains schedules. However, this study did not use typical concurrent-chains schedule procedures, in which the number of reinforcements differs between alternatives, and did not systematically analyze the effect of the systematic post-reinforcer delay. The current study therefore examined whether the length of the initial link modulates the post-reinforcer delay effect on choice with standard concurrent-chains schedules and by systematically varying both the initial link and the post-reinforcer delay. As the results, the shorter the initial link length, the larger the effect of the post-reinforcer delay. Models with post-reinforcer delays predicted choice behavior better than models without, but pigeons were more insensitive to delays than the model prediction for long initial links. These findings provide important information for models on choice, and suggest that experiments should be designed with more caution with regards to post-reinforcer delays.

Evaluating Efficacy and Preference for Prompt Type During Discrete-Trial Teaching

The components of discrete-trial teaching (DTT) may be individualized to each learner during instruction (e.g., the type of prompts used). However, there is limited research on the relative efficiency and effectiveness of these different prompt types. In addition, the learner’s preference for how they are taught is not always considered. The present study compared relative effectiveness of three prompt types (i.e., a gesture, modeling, physical guidance) to a no-prompt control condition during a receptive identification task with three boys with autism. One participant met the mastery criterion first in the model prompt condition, and two participants in the physical prompt condition. All participants selected the physical prompt during a concurrent-chains preference assessment. In addition, all participants completed a chained task using the most effective prompt type.

Systematic Changes in Preference for Schedule-Thinning Arrangements as a Function of Relative Reinforcement Density

We treated destructive behavior maintained by both social-positive (i.e., access to tangibles) and social-negative (i.e., escape from demands) reinforcement in an individual diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder using functional communication training (FCT). We then thinned the schedule of reinforcement for the tangible function using a multiple schedule (mult FCT) and later thinned the availability of escape using a chained schedule (chain FCT). Both treatments proved effective at maintaining functional communicative responses while decreasing destructive behavior to near-zero levels. In addition, treatment effects maintained when we rapidly thinned mult FCT to the terminal schedule. Throughout chain-FCT schedule thinning, we assessed client preference for each schedule-thinning arrangement (mult FCT or chain FCT) using a concurrent-chains procedure. Client preference reliably shifted from chain FCT to mult FCT as the response requirement increased and the proportion of session spent in reinforcement began to favor mult FCT. We discuss the clinical implications of these findings.