Effects of Reinforcer Magnitude and Quality on Preference for Response-Reinforcer Arrangements in Young Children with Autism

Abstract

The present study evaluated the effects of reinforcer magnitude and quality on preference for continuous and discontinuous arrangements. Two preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) participated in the study. Both participants initially preferred a discontinuous arrangement when choice options included the same quality and magnitude reinforcers; however, magnitude and quality manipulations resulted in a change in preference for continuous arrangements.

Accumulated‐ and distributed‐reinforcer arrangements in the treatment of challenging mealtime behavior

“…Limiting the session to five bites could have masked the effects of treatment conditions on mealtime behavior; individuals may be more likely to tolerate delays to reinforcement after consuming five bites versus larger response requirements (e.g., across a full meal). However, the threshold of five bites is not atypical given that previous studies in this area selected five (e.g., Ward‐Horner, Pittenger, et al., 2017), six (e.g., Fienup et al., 2011), and 10 trials (Frank‐Crawford et al., 2019; Ward‐Horner, Muehlberger et al., 2017). Future research could evaluate whether preference and performance under these arrangements maintain as the response requirement increases.…”

“…Future research should examine variables that may influence preference for and performance under different reinforcer arrangements. To date, researchers have investigated the effects of the type of reinforcer ( food vs. activity reinforcers, e.g., DeLeon et al, 2014 ), the magnitude of reinforcement ( e.g., Ward-Horner, Pittenger, et al, 2017 ), the quality of reinforcement ( e.g., Ward-Horner, Muehlberger, et al, 2017 ), and the type of task ( mastered vs.…”

“…Specifically, Ward‐Horner, Muehlberger, et al. (2017) assessed the preferences of two preschoolers as they hypothesized that young children were more likely to behave impulsively than older individuals. Robinson and St. Peter (2019) took a similar approach in their assessment of preference for and efficacy of accumulated and distributed arrangements for three students diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who also frequently engaged in problem behavior during academic instruction.…”

“…Future research should examine variables that may influence preference for and performance under different reinforcer arrangements. To date, researchers have investigated the effects of the type of reinforcer (food vs. activity reinforcers, e.g., DeLeon et al., 2014), the magnitude of reinforcement (e.g., Ward‐Horner, Pittenger, et al., 2017), the quality of reinforcement (e.g., Ward‐Horner, Muehlberger, et al., 2017), and the type of task (mastered vs. unmastered tasks, e.g., Frank‐Crawford et al., 2019). More recently, function of problem behavior, specifically escape‐maintained problem behavior, has also been explored (e.g., Frank‐Crawford et al., 2021; Fulton et al., 2020; Robinson & St. Peter, 2019).…”

Evaluation of Free-operant Preference Assessment: Outcomes of Varying Session Duration and Problem Behavior

“…Research on which is more effective, continuous or discontinuous reinforcers has mixed conclusions and likely depends on the characteristics of the individuals being assessed. For example, Ward-Horner et al (2017) found that two 4-and 5-year-old children with ASD initially preferred a discontinuous arrangement with shorter access to reinforcers, but preference was switched when magnitude and quality manipulations were made. Ward-Horner et al suggested the initial preference may have been due to the children being younger and more impulsive.…”