comparison of pictorial and edible paired stimuli preference assessments

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20001002

Preference assessments are an important tool in any treatment package. In this study, pictorial preference assessments were compared with edible preference assessments for 4 individuals diagnosed primarily with autism. A paired stimulus procedure was used with both. In the pictorial condition, participants were presented with two picture symbols of edibles and told, "Pick one." In the edible condition, the participants were presented with two foods and told "Pick one." The resulting hierarchies were compared. The edibles identified as most preferred and least preferred during both conditions were tested for reinforcer efficacy. The reinforcer assessment verified that the stimuli that were identified as high preference in both the pictorial and edible conditions produced higher rates of responding than those identified as low preference stimuli. The similar results with both pictures and edibles indicate that both the pictorial and edible preference assessments were effective in determining reinforcers.