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Assessing Preference and Stability of Preference for Individuals with Neurocognitive Disorder.
Megan N Ford1, Makenzie W Bayles1, Jennifer L Bruzek2
1Department of Psychology, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Road North, Jacksonville, AL 36265 USA.
Behavior Analysis in Practice
|December 2, 2022
Summary
Single-stimulus assessments accurately identify preferred activities and predict engagement in individuals with neurocognitive disorder (NCD), showing stable preferences over time, unlike other methods.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Poor engagement negatively impacts quality of life for individuals with neurocognitive disorder (NCD).
- Limited research exists on preference assessment and engagement strategies for this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the accuracy of four preference assessment formats (single-stimulus verbal, single-stimulus multimedia, caregiver ranking, multiple-stimulus without-replacement) in identifying preferred activities and predicting engagement in females with NCD.
- To assess the stability of preferences and engagement over time.
Main Methods:
- Employed single-stimulus (SS) verbal and multimedia assessments, caregiver ranking (CR), and multiple-stimulus without-replacement (MSWO) assessments.
- Evaluated prediction of engagement based on preference assessment results.
- Measured the consistency and stability of preferences and engagement across assessment time points.
Main Results:
- Single-stimulus assessments demonstrated consistent participant responses and accurately predicted engagement.
- Rank-order assessments (CR and MSWO) showed inconsistencies and were less reliable in predicting engagement, particularly for moderately ranked activities.
- Preferences and engagement remained stable over time with SS assessments for most participants, while MSWO showed inconsistency.
Conclusions:
- Single-stimulus assessments are effective for identifying preferred activities and predicting engagement in individuals with NCD.
- Preferences may be stable over time for some individuals with NCD, suggesting potential for personalized engagement strategies.
