Advisor(s)

Julie S. Weiss

Contributor(s)

Paula Braga-Kenyon, Karen E. Gould

Date of Award

2011

Date Accepted

5-2011

Degree Grantor

Northeastern University

Degree Level

M.S.

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department or Academic Unit

Bouvé College of Health Sciences. Department of Counseling and Applied Educational Psychology.

Keywords

psychology, behavioral, conditioned reinforcement, pairing, preference assessment, reinforcement, reinforcer assessment, social stimuli

Subject Categories

Sensory reinforcement, Social interaction - Psychological aspects

Disciplines

Social Psychology

Abstract

The current study was conducted to assess the reinforcing effects of social stimuli on responding, and through the use of a pairing procedure, establish previously neutral social stimuli as reinforcers. An edible reinforcer was identified through a preference assessment and was validated through a reinforcer assessment. Two social stimuli, vocal praise and back pats, were also assessed to detect any pre-pairing procedure effects of these stimuli on responding. A pairing procedure was then implemented with the social stimuli to determine if either stimulus could be conditioned to serve as an effective social reinforcer. One child, diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), participated in the current study. The social stimuli were not effective reinforcers prior to the pairing procedure, but both stimuli were conditioned as effective reinforcers for responding after pairing procedures were implemented. The implications of the current study's results and directions for future research are discussed, such as new methods for establishing conditioned reinforcers and the number of pairings required to condition reinforcers.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights Holder

Amanda J. Murray


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