Advisor(s)

Gary Pace

Contributor(s)

Karen E. Gould, Shawn Kenyon

Date of Award

2011

Date Accepted

5-2011

Degree Grantor

Northeastern University

Degree Level

M.S.

Degree Name

Master of Applied Behavior Analysis

Department or Academic Unit

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

Keywords

counseling psychology, edible, paired stimuli, pictorial, preference assessment

Subject Categories

Reinforcement (Psychology)

Disciplines

Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms

Abstract

Preference assessments are an important tool in any treatment package. In this study, pictorial preference assessments were compared with edible preference assessments for 4 individuals diagnosed primarily with autism. A paired stimulus procedure was used with both. In the pictorial condition, participants were presented with two picture symbols of edibles and told, "Pick one." In the edible condition, the participants were presented with two foods and told "Pick one." The resulting hierarchies were compared. The edibles identified as most preferred and least preferred during both conditions were tested for reinforcer efficacy. The reinforcer assessment verified that the stimuli that were identified as high preference in both the pictorial and edible conditions produced higher rates of responding than those identified as low preference stimuli. The similar results with both pictures and edibles indicate that both the pictorial and edible preference assessments were effective in determining reinforcers.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights Holder

Anna Richardson Matloff


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