Generality of a Paired-Stimulus Preference Assessment for Identifying Reinforcing Forms of Social Interaction

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Background:

• Social interaction is a known reinforcer for skill acquisition in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• The effectiveness of social reinforcers can vary based on individual preferences and task demands.
• Understanding these preferences is crucial for effective intervention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the predictive validity of a paired-stimulus preference assessment (PSPA) for social reinforcers.
• To evaluate the reinforcing efficacy of preferred versus less preferred social interactions across varying task complexities.
• To determine if PSPA outcomes correlate with the relative and absolute reinforcing effects of social interactions.

Main Methods:

• A pictorial paired-stimulus preference assessment (PSPA) was used to identify highly preferred (HP) and less preferred (LP) social interactions for two individuals with ASD.
• Three reinforcer assessments were conducted to evaluate the effects of HP and LP social interactions on skill acquisition for simple and complex response chains.
• Reinforcing efficacy was measured by comparing acquisition rates with social interactions versus prompting alone.

Main Results:

• Highly preferred (HP) social interactions led to more efficient skill acquisition compared to less preferred (LP) social interactions and prompting alone.
• Less preferred (LP) social interactions still functioned as reinforcers when HP alternatives were not available.
• PSPA outcomes demonstrated a relationship with the relative reinforcing efficacy of different social interactions.

Conclusions:

• Paired-stimulus preference assessments (PSPA) can effectively predict the relative reinforcing efficacy of social interactions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• It is important to consider both relative and absolute reinforcing efficacy when selecting social reinforcers.
• Individualized assessment of social interaction preferences is vital for optimizing skill acquisition in ASD interventions.