Examining the reinforcing value of stimuli within social and non-social contexts in children with and without high-functioning autism

Goldberg, Melissa C.; Allman, Melissa J.; Hagopian, Louis P.; Triggs, Mandy M.; Frank‐Crawford, Michelle A.; Mostofsky, Stewart H.; Denckla, Martha B.; DeLeon, Iser G.

doi:10.1177/1362361316655035

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Behavior analytic research seeking to identify and evaluate social behaviors and reinforcers indicates otherwise, however. Goldberg et al (2017) showed that children with ASD responded the same way as their typically developing peers when asked to choose between, or were required to work for, a solitary or social activity space. Furthermore, research with individuals with ASD has repeatedly shown that social interactions may function as a reinforcer for problem behavior (e.g., Piazza et al, 1999) and that individuals with ASD will differentially respond for more preferred social interactions (e.g., Kelly et al, 2014; Morris & Vollmer, 2019, 2020a, 2020b, 2020c).…”

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confidence: 99%

Evaluating the function of social interaction using time allocation as a dependent measure: A replication and extension

Morris

Vollmer

2020

J of App Behav Analysis

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Call et al. (2013) described a method of assessing the function of social interactions that used time allocation as a dependent measure. The current study replicated the method described by Call et al. and evaluated several extensions aimed at increasing the feasibility and efficiency of the assessment and the utility of its results. Seven children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) participated. Social interactions were concluded to be reinforcing for 5 participants and aversive for 2 partcipants. Time allocation data for all participants are presented as well as additional analyses related to patterns of switching toward or away from social contact and session duration. Implications of this study and its methodology as well as future directions in this line of research are discussed.

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confidence: 99%

Evaluating the function of social interaction using time allocation as a dependent measure: A replication and extension

Morris

Vollmer

2020

J of App Behav Analysis

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“…In addition, the use of a progressive‐ratio analysis for evaluating relative reinforcement effects under increasing schedule requirements replicated previous research (e.g., Roane et al, ). Although other studies have evaluated single (Tustin, ) or general (Goldberg et al, ) social interactions under progressive‐ratio schedules, this is the first study to evaluate the efficacy of different types of social interactions under a progressive‐ratio schedule. Because all social interactions from the preference assessment array were included in the progressive‐ratio analysis in the current study, the validity of the preference hierarchy could be determined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of methods for assessing preference for social interactions

Morris

Vollmer

2020

J of App Behav Analysis

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Researchers have evaluated a variety of methods for assessing preference for social interactions, and generally have found that such assessments accurately identify differentially reinforcing, preferred interactions. However, few researchers have compared methods for assessing preference for social interactions, and none have done so with participants across different skill levels. The current study compared the stability and validity of hierarchies produced by social interaction preference assessments (SIPA) and picture‐based multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessments (MSWO) with 8 individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The MSWO most often produced valid hierarchies for participants who could match, identify, and tact pictures of social interactions and that the SIPA most often produced valid hierarchies for participants who could not identify or tact pictures of social interactions. A vocal paired‐stimulus preference assessment (PSPA) was also conducted with a subset of participants who communicated vocally, and it produced valid hierarchies. Considerations and recommendations for selecting a method of assessing preference for social interactions are discussed.

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“…For instance, if observers actually received what is represented by the preferred image (e.g., joining the interaction depicted in the image) then this would likely alter choice behavior. This is important in the context of a recent, novel study that indexed forced choices between actually engaging in (as opposed to simply observing) social and nonsocial activities, which found no difference between ASD and NT observers (Goldberg et al, 2017). By extension, it is important to acknowledge that the choice data presented here may be better described as reflecting responsivity to social rewards, rather than social motivation per se.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

To covet what we see: Autistic traits modulate the relationship between looking and choosing

Hedger

Chakrabarti

2020

Autism Research

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Behavioral studies indicate that autistic traits predict reduced gaze toward social stimuli. Moreover, experiments that require participants to make an explicit choice between stimuli indicate reduced preferences for social stimuli in individuals with high autistic traits. These observations, in combination, fit with the idea that gaze is actively involved in the formation of choices—gaze toward a stimulus increases the likelihood of its subsequent selection. Although these aspects of gaze and choice behavior have been well characterized separately, it remains unclear how autistic traits affect the relationship between gaze and socially relevant choices. In a choice‐based eye‐tracking paradigm, we observed that autistic traits predict less frequent and delayed selection of social stimuli. Critically, eye tracking revealed novel phenomena underlying these choice behaviors: first, the relationship between gaze and choice behavior was weaker in individuals with high autistic traits—an increase in gaze to a stimulus was associated with a smaller increase in choice probability. Second, time‐series analyses revealed that gaze became predictive of choice behaviors at longer latencies in observers with high autistic traits. This dissociation between gaze and choice in individuals with high autistic traits may reflect wider atypicalities in value coding. Such atypicalities may predict the development of atypical social behaviors associated with the autism phenotype. Lay Summary When presented with multiple stimuli to choose from, we tend to look more toward the stimuli we later choose. Here, we found that this relationship between looking and choosing was reduced in individuals with high autistic traits. These data indicate that autistic traits may be associated with atypical processing of value, which may contribute to the reduced preferences for social stimuli exhibited by individuals with autism.

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Examining the reinforcing value of stimuli within social and non-social contexts in children with and without high-functioning autism

Cited by 16 publications

References 47 publications

Evaluating the function of social interaction using time allocation as a dependent measure: A replication and extension

Evaluating the function of social interaction using time allocation as a dependent measure: A replication and extension

A comparison of methods for assessing preference for social interactions

To covet what we see: Autistic traits modulate the relationship between looking and choosing

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