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Assessment of Social Interaction Behaviors
Published on: February 25, 2011
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A comparison of methods for assessing preference for social interactions.
Samuel L Morris1, Timothy R Vollmer1
1University of Florida.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|March 7, 2020
Summary
Choosing the right social interaction preference assessment for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is key. Different methods, like SIPA and MSWO, work best depending on the individual
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Applied Behavior Analysis
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Background:
- Assessing preference for social interactions is crucial for understanding reinforcement. Previous research has validated various methods but rarely compared them.
- Few studies have compared different preference assessment methods for social interactions, especially across varying skill levels in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the validity and stability of two preference assessment methods for social interactions: Social Interaction Preference Assessment (SIPA) and Picture-Based Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (MSWO).
- To determine which assessment method is more effective for individuals with ASD based on their skill levels in identifying and interacting with social stimuli.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 8 individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- Utilized Social Interaction Preference Assessment (SIPA) and Picture-Based Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (MSWO) to assess preferences for social interactions.
- A Vocal Paired-Stimulus Preference Assessment (PSPA) was also administered to a subset of participants who used vocal communication.
Main Results:
- The MSWO method yielded valid hierarchies for participants with higher visual-perceptual and verbal skills related to social interactions.
- The SIPA method was more effective in producing valid hierarchies for participants with lower visual-perceptual and verbal skills.
- The PSPA also demonstrated validity for participants who could communicate vocally.
Conclusions:
- The choice of preference assessment method for social interactions should be tailored to the individual's skill set, particularly their ability to interact with visual stimuli.
- Both SIPA and MSWO can be valid tools, but their effectiveness is contingent on the participant's characteristics.
- Recommendations are provided for selecting the most appropriate social interaction preference assessment method for individuals with ASD.
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