Northup, J., George, T., Jones, K., Broussard, C., & Vollmer, T. R. (1996).
A comparison of reinforcer assessment methods: The utility of verbal and pictorial choice procedures.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
29, 201-212.
We compared three methods of stimulus preference assessment for
verbal children and specifically evaluated the utility of a
verbal choice procedure for assessing relative reinforcer value.
Using a token system, relative preference for five categories of
reinforcers, representing 15 different stimuli, was assessed by
three methods: a reinforcer survey, a verbal stimulus-choice
questionnaire, and a pictorial stimulus-choice procedure. Results
showed that the verbal and pictorial sti mulus-choice assessments
accurately identified high- and low-preference categories for 3
of 4 participants. Survey results alone often rated multiple
categories as high preference, were less likely to identify
low-preference categories, and were less likely to correspond
with the results of a reinforcer assessment.
DESCRIPTORS: reinforcer assessment, surveys, attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder, preferences