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Behavioral choice and contingency
sensitivity in mental retardation. William J. Mcilvane and William V. Dube E. K. Shriver Center for Mental Retardation, USA The research examined sensitivity to differences in reinforcement contingencies in individuals with mental retardation. A concurrent operants procedure was implemented in the context of a computer game. The gam provided participants with two concurrently available response options, selections of two different types of animated figures displayed in the left and right halves of a touchscreen monitor. Over a series of conditions, the relative rates or magnitudes of reinforcement were changed in ratios of 5:1, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, and 1:5. Sensitivity was quantified by application of the generalized matching equation, in which the slope of a regression line fitted to the data indicates sensitivity. Results with three nonclinical young adults showed high sensitivity to differences in reinforcer rates and rapid adjustments in behavioral allocation when rates changed. Results with six individuals with mental retardation showed pronounced individual differences in sensitivity, greater variability, slower accommodation to changes, and idiosyncratic differences in sensitivity to rate and magnitude variation. The results have implications for assessing reinforcers in applied settings. A comprehensive assessment may need to examine not only response to reinforcer quality, but also to delivery parameters. The research also has implications for teaching more effective choice-making to individuals with mental retardation. Keywords: mental retardation, choice, reinforcer assessment, concurrent operants |
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