A preliminary procedure for predicting the positive and negative effects of reinforcement-based procedures

In the current investigation, a modification was made to the preference assessment described by Pace, Ivancic, Edwards, Iwata, and Page (1985) to predict the effects of stimuli when used in a differential-reinforcement-of-other-behaviour (DRO) schedule for 2 clients with severe self-injurious behavior (SIE) and profound mental retardation. Based on the results of the preference assessment, three types of stimuli were identified: (a) high-preference stimuli associated with high rates of SIE (HP/HS), (b) high-preference stimuli associated with relatively lower rates of SIE (HP/LS), and (c) low-preference stimuli associated with low rates of SIE (LP/LS). Consistent with the results of the preference assessment, the DRO schedule with HP/HS stimuli resulted in increased SIE, and the DRO schedule with LP/LS stimuli resulted in no changes in SIE. HP/LS stimuli were demonstrated reinforcers but did not result in a change in SIE when used in a DRO schedule. Thus, the stimulus preference assessment may be useful clinically in some situations for predicting both the beneficial and the negative side effects of stimuli in DRO procedures.