Improving the Function of Social Interaction: A Preliminary Evaluation of a Basic‐Research‐Informed Approach
A simple pairing game that gives kids more adult time than token time can turn social play into a powerful reinforcer.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team worked with two young children who had developmental delays.
They wanted to make social play feel more fun and rewarding.
The kids first played a computer game that paid them tokens for clicking.
Next, the game gave tokens only when the child also played with an adult.
The adult time was kept long compared with the token time — a big C/t ratio.
After this pairing, the researchers checked if the kids now chose the adult over the tokens.
What they found
Both children picked the adult more often after the pairing sessions.
They also worked harder to reach the adult play area.
Social interaction had become a stronger reinforcer.
How this fits with other research
Kanaman et al. (2022) showed that just adding social moments to a preference test can change which toys kids say they like.
Taylor’s team goes further — they used a basic conditioning trick to make the social moment itself the prize.
Cheong et al. (2025) ran a music-therapy study with preschoolers who had autism plus ID.
Their RCT found only tiny, mixed social gains.
The kids in Taylor’s study had fewer delays, so the clear win here hints that severity matters when you use C/t ratio work.
Heo et al. (2008) saw stimulant meds lower social play for one child.
Taylor shows you can move reinforcer value without drugs — just smart scheduling.
Why it matters
You can run the same pairing game in your clinic.
Pick a fun adult, set a big C/t ratio, and watch if the child starts picking people over things.
No extra toys or meds needed — just timing.
Try it for kids who tune out peers; one short session might flip their choice.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
ABSTRACT When social interactions do not function as efficacious reinforcers, it may impede learning in environments that rely on differential social consequences. Although researchers have evaluated methods of improving the function of social interaction, these methods are not always effective, perhaps because they are inconsistent with principles of Pavlovian conditioning. In the current study, we evaluated whether a basic‐research‐informed approach could increase the reinforcing efficacy of social interactions for two children with developmental disabilities. Specifically, we evaluated the effects of conditioning procedures that ensured large C / t ratios by using progressive ratio schedules to quantify changes in the reinforcing efficacy of play with and without social interaction. The C / t ratio represents the temporal contiguity between stimuli, where C is the average time between unconditioned stimulus (US) deliveries, and t is the average time between the neutral stimulus and US deliveries. Improvements in absolute and relative reinforcer efficacy of social interaction were obtained for both participants, suggesting that methods which ensure large C / t could result in more efficacious conditioning interventions. We discuss the need for further translational and applied research as well as potential clinical implications.
Behavioral Interventions, 2025 · doi:10.1002/bin.70051