Evaluating preference displacement of edible stimuli and social interactions for typically developing preschool children

Edible and leisure items are often used in behavioral intervention to teach skills or reduce problem behavior. Social interactions, however, have also been shown to function as reinforcers for both typically developing children and children diagnosed with autism. Previous research has been conducted investigating preference displacement between edible, leisure and social items. The current study included edible stimuli and social interactions to evaluate whether patterns of displacement would appear with typically developing children. Multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessments were conducted to identify highly preferred stimuli from both edible item and social interaction classes to use in combined assessments to evaluate displacement. Three of six participants showed complete displacement of social interactions by edible items and three participants showed patterns of partial displacement. Two of the participants demonstrating patterns of partial displacement showed a disproportionate preference for social interactions.