The Use of Reinforcer Assessments in Evaluating Psychotropic Medication Effects

Psychotropic medications are increasingly being prescribed for the treatment of problem behavior, particularly in combination
with behavioral interventions. Previous research has demonstrated the motivating operation (MO) effects of psychotropic medications,
which may lead to changes in stimulus preference or changes in the magnitude of reinforcers maintaining the problem behavior
under treatment. Although preference and reinforcer assessments have been conducted to examine changes in item preference
and reinforcer effectiveness, there is limited research regarding how medications impact outcomes on these assessments. The
purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the need for research on the effects psychotropic medications have on preference and
reinforcer assessment outcomes. The implications of these findings are also discussed.