Evaluation of a Brief Stimulus Preference Assessment

Abstract

We evaluated the utility of a brief (5-min) stimulus preference assessment for individuals with developmental disabilities. Participants had noncontingent (free) access to an array of stimuli and could interact with any of the stimuli at any time. Stimuli were never withdrawn or withheld from the participants during a 5-min session. In Experiment 1, the brief preference assessment was conducted for 10 participants to identify differentially preferred stimuli, and reinforcer assessments were conducted to test the reinforcing efficacy of those stimuli identified as highly preferred. In Experiment 2, a comparison was conducted between the brief preference assessment and a commonly used paired-stimulus preference assessment. Collectively, results demonstrated that the brief preference assessment identified stimuli that functioned as reinforcers for a simple operant response, identified preferred stimuli that were differentially effective as reinforcers compared to nonpreferred stimuli, was associated with fewer problem behaviors, and required less time to complete than a commonly used paired-stimulus preference assessment.

Telehealth and Autism: Treating Challenging Behavior at Lower Cost

“…Break activities were matched to a preference assessment. 19 Problem behavior resulted in continuation of the task or re-presentation of the task if it occurred during a break. Parents were directed to practice FCT procedures for 10 to 15 minutes daily at home.…”

Examination of Relative Reinforcement Effects of Stimuli Identified Through Pretreatment and Daily Brief Preference Assessments

“…(e.g., DeLeon & Iwata, 1996;Roane, Vollmer, Ringdahl, & Marcus, 1998;Windsor et al, 1994). Brief assessments may have substantial practical advantages over longer versions.…”

“…By shortening the procedures, it is possible that caregivers may be more likely to administer the assessment and that the individuals being assessed will not become fatigued or otherwise have to endure extensive assessment sessions. Brief assessment may also be highly useful when therapy or assessment is limited by brief visitation times (Roane et al, 1998).…”

“…Several studies have demonstrated that preferences can shift across time such that stimuli selected as highly preferred at one point in time may not be preferred at a later time (e.g., Dyer, 1987;Kennedy & Haring, 1993;Roane et al, 1998). If stimulus preferences are highly dynamic, frequent preference assessment (especially when conducted just before training sessions) may ensure that the stimuli used in treatment are, in fact, the most highly preferred (Kennedy & Haring, 1993;Lohrmann-O'Rourke & Browder, 1998).…”

“…For example, Roane et al (1998) demonstrated that stimuli identified as highly preferred during brief assessments functioned more effectively as reinforcers than stimuli identified as nonpreferred during the same assessment. Others have demonstrated that stimuli selected using presession assessments produced superior results relative to stimuli selected by teachers based on informal observations of students (Mason, McGee, Farmer-Dougan, & Risley, 1989) or stimuli selected from standardized lists of reinforcers (Dyer, 1987).…”