Preliminary Demonstration of Concurrent-Chains Progressive Ratio Schedules to Measure Magnitude of Relative Preference

Abstract

Concurrent-chains arrangements are commonly used to assess preference for interventions. Typically, these assessments are used to identify the most-preferred intervention, which may result in the rejection of other acceptable interventions. Modifications to the chained schedule might allow for the quantification of the degree of relative preference. The current study served as an initial demonstration of a modified concurrent-chains arrangement that included a progressive-ratio schedule as the second link of a three-link chain. Two participants preferred a single condition, requiring removal of the most-preferred alternative to yield a preference hierarchy. For two additional participants, preference hierarchies were identified through break points, although both participants exhibited small differences in relative preference across conditions. The findings of the current study suggest that alternative measures of relative preference might provide additional information for behavior analysts tasked with identifying individualized interventions.