Choice versus no choice: Practical considerations for increasing choices

Abstract

Choice involves engaging in a selection response when multiple options are concurrently available. Choices can be incorporated into many components of behavior-analytic treatment such as providing clients with a choice between multiple items, activities, or tasks. We reviewed the main characteristics of 38 behavior-analytic articles that compared choice and no-choice conditions. We coded the experimental arrangements of choice and no-choice conditions and analyzed potential factors affecting preferences for choice and no choice. The findings suggest that the sizing of alternatives from which to choose, the timing of choice opportunities, and the timing of the delivery of the chosen option varied across the studies. Furthermore, preferences for choice shifted with differential reinforcement history and response effort manipulations of choice or no choice. The findings suggest that individual variables should be considered when providing choices, but more research is needed.

Keywords: choice; concurrent chains; concurrent operants; no choice; preference assessment.

FIGURE 1

Schematic overview of the data search and data analysis process. ABAI = Association for Behavior Analysis International. BACB = Behavior Analyst Certification Board.

FIGURE 2

Cumulative number of experiments published between January 2000 and September 2022.

FIGURE 3

The number of experiments in each arrangement of choices. The number inside the circle indicates the number of experiments in the respective arrangement combination. Darker circles indicate multiple experiments, and lighter circles indicate fewer experiments. The total number on this figure exceeds the total number of experiments because two experiments with both immediate delivery and delayed delivery conditions were counted separately. One experiment was excluded because the array size was unclear. ID = immediate delivery; DD = delayed delivery.