A comparison of multiple reinforcer assessments to identify the function of maladaptive behavior.
A quick side-by-side reinforcer test before FCT shows which reward—attention or tangibles—will work best today, so you don’t have to guess.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team worked with one adult who had an intellectual disability.
The person’s problem behavior seemed to be about getting attention and also getting toys or snacks.
To see which reward mattered more at any moment, the researchers set up two simple tasks side by side.
One task gave attention after each response.
The other task gave a small edible or toy after each response.
The adult could switch between the two tasks whenever they wanted.
This quick side-by-side test is called a concurrent-schedules reinforcer assessment.
After the test showed the stronger reward, the team taught one simple communication response and used that reward to make FCT work.
What they found
The adult’s choice between attention and tangibles changed across short test sessions.
Some days attention won, other days tangibles won.
When FCT used the currently preferred reward, problem behavior dropped and the new communication response grew.
The study showed that preference can shift even within the same day, and catching that shift makes treatment stronger.
How this fits with other research
Irvin et al. (1998) ran a similar side-by-side test right after a functional analysis and saw the same thing: the reward that wins the mini-test is the one that powers the best treatment.
Their work came first, so Carr et al. (2002) builds on that idea and links it directly to FCT.
Briggs et al. (2017) later showed that these preference shifts don’t stop after you pick a reward; clients also change their mind about schedule types once the density of reinforcement changes.
Together the three studies tell one story: keep checking what the client wants, not just at the start but all the way through treatment.
Why it matters
If you treat multiply controlled behavior with only one reward, you may miss the real driver on that day.
Running a five-minute concurrent-schedules probe before each FCT session lets you hand the client the reward that is strongest right then.
This tiny step can cut problem behavior faster and keeps you from guessing.
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Join Free →Before your next FCT session, set out two brief tasks: one that gives attention, one that gives a small tangible; let the client sample both for two minutes each and use the winner as the FCT reward that day.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Functional analysis results indicated that maladaptive behaviors displayed by a 25-year-old man with profound mental retardation were maintained by attention from caregivers and possibly, to a lesser degree, by access to tangible items. A concurrent-schedules procedure was then used to study the relative reinforcing value for maladaptive behavior of attention versus tangible items. Results of the concurrent-schedules assessment and subsequent functional communication training indicated that preference for attention versus access to a tangible object varied.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2002 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2002.35-299