Rachel S. F. Tarbox, Jonathan Tarbox, Patrick M. Ghezzi,
Michele D. Wallace, & J. Helen Yoo. (2007)
The effects of blocking mouthing of leisure items on their effectiveness as reinforcers.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
40, 761-765.
Leisure items are commonly used as reinforcers in behavior-analytic applications.
However, a defining feature of autism is the occurrence of stereotypy, and
individuals with autism often engage leisure items in a stereotyped manner.
The opportunity for stereotyped interaction may be the only aspect of a
contingent stimulus that makes it a reinforcer for appropriate behavior. Therefore,
this study investigated the effects of blocking stereotyped reinforcer interaction
on reinforcer efficacy for 2 children with autism. Results showed that
blocking stereotypic reinforcer interaction did not influence reinforcer efficacy.
DESCRIPTORS: autism, object mouthing, reinforcer assessment, response blocking, stereotypy