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Case Reports
. 2005 Summer;38(2):247-50.
doi: 10.1901/jaba.2005.36-04.

On the role of preference in response competition

William H Ahearn  1 , Kathy M Clark, Ruth DeBar, Christine Florentino
Affiliations
Case Reports

On the role of preference in response competition

William H Ahearn et al. J Appl Behav Anal. 2005 Summer.

Abstract

A duration-based preference assessment identified items that matched and did not match the sensory consequences hypothesized to maintain stereotypy. When evaluated in treatment, these items effectively competed with the occurrence of stereotypy, regardless of their sensory properties. It is suggested that relative preference, as measured in duration-based assessment, can be as significant as type of stimulation produced in interventions that reduce automatically reinforced problem behavior.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. The percentage occurrence of gross motor stereotypy and engagement for Tim (top left) and vocal stereotypy and engagement for Cris (top right) during the duration-based preference assessments.
Items used in the subsequent analysis are marked with an asterisk. The percentage occurrence of gross motor stereotypy for Tim (bottom left) and vocal stereotypy for Cris (bottom right) are shown for the multielement comparison.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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