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      Choosing Choice: An Assessment of Children's Preference to Choose

      Penman, Jenna Ann
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      Penman, J. A. (2016). Choosing Choice: An Assessment of Children’s Preference to Choose (Thesis, Master of Applied Psychology (MAppPsy)). University of Waikato. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10289/10874
      Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/10874
      Abstract
      The current study examined the effects of choosing among alternatives for five children in a series of experiments. In the first, a concurrent-chains arrangement was used to assess all participant’s preferences for choice making. Initial link selections resulted in access to terminal links in which the completed task resulted (a) the choice of identical reinforcers (choice), (b) the delivery of an identical reinforcer (no-choice), or (c) no reinforcer delivered (control). One of the five participants showed an initial preference for choice, the others had either an inconsistent preference or were indifferent. Additional evaluations were conducted (Experiments 2 and 4) to demonstrate whether preference for choice could be established by either increasing variability of the stimuli, or by increasing the number of stimuli from which to choose. Choice-link selections increased for one participant when more items were available from which to choose and for another participant when the items from which to choose varied. Experiment 3 and 5 quantified the value of the opportunity to choose using progressively increasing schedule requirements during the choice terminal link for the three children who demonstrated a preference for choice. All three children continued to select the choice link even when the schedule requirements in the choice link were much higher than that in the no-choice link.
      Date
      2016
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Name
      Master of Applied Psychology (MAppPsy)
      Supervisors
      McEwan, James S.A.
      Publisher
      University of Waikato
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      All items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
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      • Masters Degree Theses [2385]
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