Harding, J.W., Wacker, D.P., Berg, W.K., Cooper, L.J., Asmus, J., Mlela, K., & Muller, J. (1999).
An analysis of choice making in the assessment of young children with severe behavior problems .
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
32, 63-82.
We examined how positive and negative reinforcement influenced time allocation, occurrence of problem
behavior, and completion of parent instructions during a concurrent choice assessment with 2 preschool-aged children who
displayed severe problem behavior in their homes. The children were given a series of concurrent choice options that
varied availability of parent attention, access to preferred toys, and presentation of parent instructions. The results showed
that both children consistently allocated their time to choice areas that included parent attention when no instructions were
presented. When parent attention choice areas included the presentation of instructions, the children displayed differential
patterns of behavior that appeared to be influenced by the presence or absence of preferred toys. The results extended
previous applications of reinforcer assessment procedures by analyzing the relative influence of both positive and negative
reinforcement within a concurrent-operants paradigm.
DESCRIPTORS: choice making, preschool children, problem behavior