An examination of stimulus technology level and preference displacement during multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessments.

BEHAVIOR therapy; LEARNING; PATIENTS' attitudes; EDUCATIONAL technology; AUTISM; CASE studies; BRAIN injuries

Researchers have observed that preference for edible items may displace preference for leisure items when items from the stimulus classes are assessed together within multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO) preference assessments. The current study extends previous research by examining patterns of preference and displacement when assessing preference for high‐tech and low‐tech leisure items. We conducted three separate MSWO preference assessments; one assessing low‐tech items, another assessing high‐tech items, and a combined assessment (using the top four high‐ and low‐tech items from the previous assessments) to test for displacement. Preference for high‐tech items fully or partially displaced preference for low‐tech items in five of eight participants. We then conducted concurrent and single operant reinforcer assessments using the highly preferred high‐tech and low‐tech items. Reinforcer assessment results demonstrated similar levels of responding for the highest preferred high‐tech and low‐tech items, indicating that combining high‐ and low‐tech items within preference assessments may influence the validity of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Behavioral Interventions is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)