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Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis logoLink to Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
. 1996 Summer;29(2):201–212. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1996.29-201

A comparison of reinforcer assessment methods: the utility of verbal and pictorial choice procedures.

J Northup 1, T George 1, K Jones 1, C Broussard 1, T R Vollmer 1
PMCID: PMC1279894  PMID: 8682736

Abstract

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 stimulus-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.

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Selected References

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