The effects of pictorial versus tangible stimuli in stimulus-preference assessments.

The team worked with three adults who had intellectual disabilities.

They compared two ways to find reinforcers: showing real items versus showing photos of the items.

Each adult tried both methods in an alternating-treatments design.

Staff recorded which items the adults touched or pointed to most.

Real items created more variety in choices.

They also uncovered stronger reinforcers than the photos did.

In short, tangible beats pictorial for spotting what really motivates these adults.

Simonian et al. (2020) later rounded up 13 workplace studies that also used preference checks with adults.

Their review quietly includes our 1999 paper, showing the idea works beyond clinical settings.

Gilliam et al. (2013) adds a twist: only high-preference items later sparked new verbal requests.

Together the trio says, “Test with real stuff, find the best stuff, then watch language grow.”

Next time you run a preference assessment, skip the picture cards. Place the actual coffee mug, lotion bottle, or snack on the table. You will leave with truer data and stronger reinforcers, and your client’s program will move faster because the rewards really matter to them.