On the correspondence between preference assessment outcomes and progressive-ratio schedule assessments of stimulus value.

Iser G. DeLeon, Michelle A. Frank, Meagan K. Gregory, & Melissa J. Allman. On the correspondence between preference assessment outcomes and progressive-ratio schedule assessments of stimulus value. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 42, 729-733.

The current study examined whether stimuli of different preference levels would be associated with different amounts of work maintained by the stimuli, as determined through progressive-ratio schedule break points. Using a paired-choice preference assessment, stimuli were classified as high, moderate, or low preference for 4 individuals with developmental disabilities. The stimuli were then tested three times each using a progressive-ratio schedule (step size of 1; the break-point criterion was 1 min). In 10 of 12 possible comparisons, higher preference stimuli produced larger break points than did lower preference stimuli.

DESCRIPTORS: progressive-ratio schedules, reinforcer assessment, stimulus preference