The effects of providing access to stimuli following choice making during vocal preference assessments

Two variations of a vocal paired-stimulus preference assessment were evaluated to determine whether the verbal reports of preference, given by individuals with developmental disabilities when no access to the activity was given, matched their verbal reports when access to the activity was given contingent on their choice. The results indicated different outcomes between the two methods for 6 of the 7 participants. Subsequent reinforcer assessments, conducted for 2 participants, showed that activities identified in the preference assessments that provided access contingent on selection resulted in more responding than did activities identified in the preference assessment that did not include access to items following their selection.     

Evaluating the relative effects of feedback and contingent money for staff training of stimulus preference assessments

Performance feedback has facilitated the acquisition and maintenance of a wide range of behaviors (e.g., health-care routines, seat-belt use). Most researchers have attributed the effectiveness of performance feedback to (a) its discriminative functions, (b) its reinforcing functions, or (c) the combination of the two. In this study, we attempted to evaluate the relative contributions of the discriminative and reinforcing functions of performance feedback by comparing a condition in which the discriminative functions were maximized and the reinforcing functions were minimized (i.e., performance-specific instructions without contingent money) with one in which the reinforcing functions were maximized and the discriminative functions were minimized (i.e., contingent money with no performance-specific instructions). We compared the effects of these two conditions on the acquisition of skills involved in conducting two commonly used preference assessments. Results showed that acquisition of these skills occurred primarily in the condition with performance-specific instruction without contingent money, suggesting that the delivery of performance-specific instructions was critical to skill acquisition, whereas the delivery of contingent money had little effect.     

Multiple,speeded assessments: Initial evidence on subgroup differences and applicant perceptions

Recently, shorter assessments have emerged as potential alternatives for more resourceful traditional selection approaches. Multiple, speeded assessments (MSAs) represent such an alternative. In MSAs, candidates participate in a large number of short (a maximum of 5 min), behavioral simulations in which they face a variety of job situations. Initial psychometric evidence on the validity of MSAs is promising. Yet, validity represents only one piece of evidence. It is not known whether MSAs disadvantage specific subgroups, which may inhibit diversity. There is also no information on candidates' experience of going through an MSA, which is pivotal for the attractiveness of the organization's selection process. Therefore, this study investigates an MSA in terms of subgroup differences (gender and nationality) and applicant perceptions. Master of Business Administration (MBA) students (N = 96) proceeded through 18 short role-plays sampling junior management situations. Score differences between men and women were negligible. Yet, there were large score differences between national citizens and foreigners. There was no evidence for predictive bias for nationality, though. Of the applicant reaction measures, interpersonal treatment perceptions contributed most to overall fairness perceptions. These findings add to the evidence in support of MSAs, while also stressing to remain vigilant for potential score differences among subgroups.     

TREATMENT OF PICA THROUGH MULTIPLE ANALYSES OF ITS REINFORCING FUNCTIONS

We conducted functional analyses of the pica of 3 participants. The pica of 1 participant appeared to be maintained by automatic reinforcement; that of the other 2 participants appeared to be multiply controlled by social and automatic reinforcement. Subsequent preference and treatment analyses were used to identify stimuli that would compete with the automatic function of pica for the 3 participants. These analyses also identified the specific aspect of oral stimulation that served as automatic reinforcement for 2 of the participants. In addition, functional analysis-based treatments were used to address the socially motivated components of 2 of the participants' pica. Results are discussed in terms of (a) the importance of using the results of functional analyses to develop treatments for pica and (b) the advantages of developing indirect analyses to identify specific sources of reinforcement for automatically reinforced behavior.     

Predictions of developmental patterns during infancy: Assessments of children 0–1 years

The present study investigated how neonatal behavioural organization was related to later mental development during the first year of life. The study further investigated the relationship between early social affective behaviour and later mental development. A group of 40 infants was assessed five times during the infants' first year, at three and 14 days and at four, eight and 12 months. The Brazelton Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale (NBAS), the Duve method (a clinically based method for observation of social affective behaviour), and Griffiths' Mental Development Scales were used to assess the development of the infants. The results indicate that early predictive behavioural components can be identified. Neonatal state control capacity was related to motor development at both eight and 12 months. Social responsitivity at four months was related to hearing and speech at eight as well as at 12 months. The NBAS dimensions were good predictors of eight months performance, but were poor predictors of 12 months performance.     

Determining individual preschoolers' preferences in a group arrangement

This study sought to determine the accuracy of an assessment format in which selection outcomes were delayed and probabilistic; these are unavoidable features of an assessment designed to determine preferences of multiple children simultaneously. During the single arrangement, preference hierarchies were established by having a child repeatedly select from among several foods and by sequentially restricting preferred items from the array. After being taught the associations between colored cards and the same food items, group assessments were conducted with 3 children simultaneously, in which each child chose a card and all children received the food correlated with a randomly selected card from those that had just been selected. The group assessment appeared to be accurate and perhaps more efficient for determining preferences; thus, we posit that this arrangement is suitable for determining context preferences of multiple children simultaneously.