Evaluation of Free-operant Preference Assessment: Outcomes of Varying Session Duration and Problem Behavior.
A 1-minute free-operant preference assessment gives the same reinforcer picks as a 5-minute one and cuts problem behavior.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran free-operant preference assessments with children with autism. They compared 1-minute and 2-minute sessions against the usual 5-minute version.
They watched which toys the child touched and how often problem behavior happened. Each child went through all three session lengths in a mixed order.
What they found
The short 1-2 minute sessions picked the same top toys as the 5-minute sessions. Problem behavior dropped when sessions were shorter.
Brief assessments still found items that worked as reinforcers later on.
How this fits with other research
Kang et al. (2013) reviewed 14 studies and said free-operant assessments give reliable reinforcer picks. Day et al. (2021) now show you can get that reliability in under two minutes.
Hanley et al. (2003) created response-restriction to speed things up by cutting access early. J et al. kept the free-operant format but simply shortened the clock. Both paths reach the same goal: faster answers.
Kodak et al. (2009) found free-operant and MSW assessments sometimes disagree. J et al. did not compare procedures; they show that when you do pick free-operant, you can safely trim the session length.
Why it matters
You can finish a preference check before problem behavior escalates. Shorter sessions mean less fatigue and more teaching time. Next time you plan a long assessment, try a 1-minute probe first and still walk away with a solid reinforcer list.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Previous researchers have found brief versions of preference assessments correspond to outcomes of longer preference assessments, and that varying levels of problem behavior occur in different preference assessments. Researchers conducted two studies to examine 1-, 2-, and 5-min duration outcomes of the free-operant preference assessment and evaluated the correspondence between the shorter and longer session durations and to identify frequency of problem behavior at each duration. Researchers also assessed relative reinforcing efficacy of the highest preferred stimulus from the shortest duration sessions. Moderate to high correlations were found between the 1- and 2-min sessions and 1- and 5-min sessions across six of eight participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in Study 1 and two of three participants in Study 2. Furthermore, all highest preference stimuli identified in the shortest duration assessment served as reinforcers. Researchers found problem behavior generally occurred more in longer duration sessions.
Behavior modification, 2021 · doi:10.1177/0145445520925429