Evaluating the paired stimulus preference assessment for identifying social interaction for skill acquisition

Document Type

Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree

M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis

Date Completed

2020

First Committee Member

Roscoe, Eileen

Second Committee Member

Bourret, Jason

Third Committee Member

Hanley, Gregory

Abstract

"Research supports that social interaction can be a valuable reinforcer for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (Athens & Vollmer, 2010). However, reinforcing forms of attention may be idiosyncratic (Kodak et al., 2007). In the current study, the generality of the results of a paired stimulus preference assessment informed by systematic preassessments (Kelly et al., 2014) was assessed with two participants. Three reinforcer assessments of increased complexity and social relevance were conducted using a highly preferred social interaction, less preferred social interaction, and a no interaction control. A reversal design was used to compare rates of target touching during a concurrent operant arrangement. Next, the methods described by Seaver and Bourret (2014) were used to compare completion of complex response chains with LEGO blocks and with socially relevant tasks (e.g., vocational tasks). The results showed that the PSPA results had generality that may extend to teaching complex, socially relevant skills."

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