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The value of choice as a reinforcer for typically developing children
Julie A Ackerlund Brandt1, Claudia L Dozier2, Jessica Foster Juanico2
1St. Cloud State University.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|April 29, 2015
Summary
Children often prefer choices that lead to the same outcomes. However, their preference for choice can change if outcomes differ, though this effect may not last.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Previous studies indicate choice increases appropriate behavior and decreases inappropriate behavior.
- The underlying mechanisms of choice-induced behavior change remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of preference for choice in children.
- To evaluate if differential outcomes associated with choice and no-choice conditions alter preference.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: Assessed preference for choice when outcomes were identical for child-initiated and experimenter-initiated choices.
- Study 2: Examined how preferences shift when outcomes differ between child-initiated and experimenter-initiated choices, with and without a history of differential outcomes.
Main Results:
- The majority of children preferred choice contexts when outcomes were identical regardless of who initiated the choice.
- Participant preferences shifted when outcomes differed based on who initiated the choice.
- A history of differential outcomes did not yield a durable effect on choice selections.
Conclusions:
- Children's preference for choice is influenced by outcome identity and contingency.
- While preferences can be altered by differential outcomes, the effects may lack durability.
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