Preference for gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in current users.

Five adults who already used the club drug GHB came to a lab.

Each person swallowed 12 capsules across sessions.

Some capsules held real GHB. Others held plain filler.

After each dose the person picked: ‘Do you want this one again, or the blank?’

The team counted how often each person chose the real drug.

People picked the active GHB on 96 out of every 100 choices.

Higher doses were chosen even more.

The simple paper test tracked drug value as well as long interviews.

Norris et al. (2024) used the same pick-one method to rank reinforcers that keep problem behavior alive.

Their tool and the GHB test both give a fast hierarchy in under 20 min.

Butler et al. (2021) showed edible items stay top-ranked month after month.

GHB choices were just as steady, so the method works for both candy and drugs.

Wilson et al. (2024) asked whether video or photo mode gives a truer picture of social preference.

They found video wins for stability, but the core logic—let the client choose—is identical to the GHB study.

You can borrow the Multiple Choice Procedure tomorrow.

Write two cards: one names the reinforcer you plan to use, the other says ‘no thanks.’

Let the client pick five times.

If they take the reinforcer every time, you have a winner.

If not, keep searching.

The whole test takes two minutes and needs no props beyond paper.