Revealed preference between reinforcers used to examine hypotheses about behavioral consistencies.

Two adults worked for different reinforcers while the response requirement slowly rose. The researchers plotted how much each person responded as the work got harder.

The curve they drew is called a demand curve. Its shape shows which reinforcer the person truly prefers.

Each adult had a unique curve. One person kept working hardest for chocolate. The other stayed with music clips.

The shape stayed the same when the test was repeated. This hints that reinforcer taste is a stable trait for each learner.

Hackenberg (1995) first showed how to draw these curves on paper. The 2000 study simply used that recipe with real people.

Poling (2010) later offered a shortcut: keep raising the ratio until the client stops. That single "break point" gives the same rank order faster.

Wallander et al. (1983) looked like they disagreed. They saw preference shift when body weight dropped. But they changed hunger, not work amount. The two papers study different things, so both can be true.

You can sketch a tiny demand curve in any session. Start with easy tasks and slowly add more responses. Watch where responding drops off. The reinforcer that survives the highest cost goes to the top of that learner’s list. Use that item first when teaching new skills or treating problem behavior.