Using stimulus preference assessments to identify preferred break environments

Abstract

A pictorial preference assessment was conducted for 2 individuals with autism who had programmed breaks in their behavior plans. Assessed break environments were individualized, based on indirect assessments and direct observations. The most highly (HP) and least preferred (LP) environments and a control with no associated break were included in a subsequent reinforcer assessment using a concurrent‐chains arrangement within a reversal design. Participants selected a multitask sequence (initial link) associated with one of the break environments. Phase A evaluated the reinforcing properties of all three breaks; the HP was removed in Phase B. Both participants allocated more responding to HP than LP, and to LP than control, suggesting that breaks functioned as reinforcers. The results indicated that preference assessment technology can be used to identify highly preferred breaks that function as reinforcers. Social validity measures indicated that the individuals' clinicians found the results useful for future clinical programming.

A review of the concurrent‐chains arrangement to assess intervention choice: 2018–2023

“…Most disagreements were a result of studies that used a concurrent‐chains arrangement to evaluate stimuli used in the intervention (e.g., the type of reinforcer used) rather than the intervention itself. It should be noted that other areas of research have used concurrent‐chains arrangements to assess choice in the context of preference assessments for stimuli (e.g., Basile et al, 2021; Castelluccio & Johnson, 2019). For example, Basile et al (2021) compared paired vs. multiple stimulus‐preference‐assessment formats to assess preference for the same putative consequences.…”

Assessing Preference for Activities and Instructional Contexts

“…Specifically, the CCPA allows students the opportunity to select their preferred behavior-change procedures (e.g., instructional contexts), thus increasing the social validity of instruction (Hanley, 2010). The CCPA has been used to assess preferences of individuals with ASD in a variety of education-related contexts, including reinforcement parameters (Castelluccio & Johnson, 2019; Fulton et al, 2020), instructional procedures (Geiger et al, 2012; Kodak et al, 2016), and choice considerations (Toussaint et al, 2016). Furthermore, the utility of the CCPA has been extended to demonstrate its efficacy in identifying preferences of multiple students with ASD in a group format (Vargo & Brown, 2020).…”