PSY 317 1st EditionExam # 2 Study Guide Lectures: 7 - 12Lecture 7: Preference Assessments-Positive reinforcement: delivery of a stimulus contingent on a response that increases the future likelihood of that response (defined by its effect on behavior)-Preference assessments: Formal procedures used to identify highly preferred stimuli-Classifying reinforcers by topographical properties- Edible reinforcers (food)- Sensory reinforcers (massage, tickles)- Tangible reinforcers (trinkets, toys)- Social reinforcers (physical proximity, social interaction)- Activity reinforcers (playing a game, recess)-For the following preference assessments, be able to describe the basic procedures, methodof classifying preference, advantages, and disadvantages:1. Single-stimulusa. General procedurei. One stimulus was presented at a timeii. Observers scored the approach response (i.e. reaches) as a measure of preferenceiii. If the participant approached the stimulus within 5 seconds of presentation, the therapist gave them the stimulus for 5 secondsiv. If not touched, the therapists prompted the participant to touch the stimulusv. If not touched, trial ended, and the next item was presentedvi. Continue until all items are presented 10 times eachb. Variations (are ok if held consistent for all stimuli)i. Time to approach (doesn’t always have to be 5-s)ii. Duration of access (can be longer than 5-s)iii. Number of trials per item (can be more or less than 10)c. Classification of preferencei. Preferred: stimuli approached on at least 80% of presentationsii. Non preferred: stimuli approached on 50% or less of presentationsiii. *In some variations, as low as 20% selection is necessary to be classified as non preferredd. Limitationsi. Participants may approach all or most of the stimuliii. Thus, no preference hierarchy can be determinediii. Some stimuli identified as preferred may not function as effective reinforcersiv. False-positivee. Advantagesi. May be relatively quick depending on # of itemsii. May be well suited for individuals with severe intellectual or physical disabilities2. Paired-choicea. General procedurei. Participants choose between two stimuli presented concurrentlyii. Each stimulus in the array is compared to every other stimulus at least onceiii. Approaches towards one of the two stimuli produces access to that stimulus for 5-s1. Approaches to both stimuli are blocked, must choose only 12. If 5-s elapses without a selection, prompted to “pick one”3. If another 5-s elapses without a selection, move on to the next 2b. Variationsi. Duration of access may be more than 5-sc. Classification of preferencei. A hierarchy is developed, based on percentage of trials approached/selectedii.d. Advantagesi. Produces greater differentiation of preferenceii. Highly preferred items often are indeed reinforcingiii. Fewer false positives (compared to the single-stimulus assessment)e. Disadvantagesi. May take a long time1. If 10 items in the array: 45 pairsii. Taking items away after the access period may evoke problem behavioriii. Control for potential side biases (e.g., always picking on the right3. Multiple-stimulusa. General procedurei. Entire array is presented all at onceii. The first item selected is provided for 20-s1. If no response occurs within 20-s, trial has endediii. Item is returned to the array (rearranged order)iv. Repeat for 10 trialsb. Variationsi. Again, access time may vary, but should be consistent across all itemsc. Advantagesi. Quicker compared to choice assessmentii. Effective in identifying the most highly preferred itemd. Disadvantagei. Client may always select the same itemii. Less likely to produce a comprehensive hierarchy of preferred to non preferred stimuli4. Multiple-stimulus without replacementa. General procedurei. Entire array is presented (initially)ii. First items selected is presented for X-siii. Following access time, the selected item is not returned to the array (hence, “without replacement”)iv. The remaining items are rearranged, and another selection is madeb. Classification of preferencei. Stimuli ordered by rank preference (selected 1st, 2nd, etc)c. Advantagesi. Also quicker compared to choice assessmentii. Produces ranking of all itemsiii. Can be used to assess preferences relatively often. d. Disadvantagei. Taking away the top items after the access period may evoke problem behavior5. Free-operanta. General procedurei. Continuous access to an array of stimuli for 5 minutesii. Free to engage with any items at any timeiii. No stimuli are withdrawnb. Variationsi. Total time may vary (10-min, 15-min)c. Classification of preferencei. Ranked by percentage of time with item engagementd. Advantagesi. Takes less time than choice assessmentii. Less likely to evoke problem behavior when items removediii. May also record time spent engaging in problem behavior1. Particularly automatically reinforced SIB, stereotypy, etc.2. May indicate which items “compete” with problem behaviore. Disadvantagesi. Client may end up interacting with only 1 itemii. May not generate a comprehensive preference hierarchy 6. Activity restrictiona. General procedurei. Starts like the free-operant assessment for 5-min sessionii. Item(s) interacted with for 60%+ of the time are not available in the following sessionb. Variationsi. Duration of each session may varyii. Rules for restricting stimuli may vary as well1. Based on groups of items interacted with, etc.c. Advantagesi. Consistently identified highly ranked itemsii. More differentiated hierarchy of preference compared to free operant7. Duration assessmenta. General procedurei. Individual stimuli are available for 2-minii. Duration engagement during the 2-min period is the dependent variable (not just approach)b. Advantagesi. Takes less time than the choice assessmentii. May be suitable for individuals who cannot easily choose between two or more stimuli, or for stimuli that cannot be presented in pairs (e.g., activities, etc.)c. Disadvantagei. Produces less stable preference hierarchy across repeated assessments-Vocal report-May be more appropriate for individuals with good vocal repertoire-But, often vocal report does not match observed preferences-Caregiver nomination-Caregivers nominations may not always match observed behavior-Reinforcer Assessment for Individuals with Disabilities – RAISD-May be a good starting point for determining an array-Pictorial representations-Choose between pictures instead of words-May