Dogs may be relinquished to shelters and are unlikely to be adopted if they engage in problem behavior. A successful way to eliminate problem behavior is through training techniques based on behavioral principles. Obedience training with the use of positive reinforcement has been successful in treating problematic behavior by dogs. In order for this method to work, it is essential that the stimuli selected function as reinforcers. Preference assessments can be used to identify these potential reinforcers. A preference assessment is a systematic method used to identify stimuli that may serve as possible reinforcers by yielding preference hierarchies. Although preference and reinforcer assessments have been successfully used with humans, research with nonhuman animals is limited. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to compare the efficacy and efficiency of paired-stimulus preference assessment with a multiple-stimulus preference assessment. The results suggested that the results of both preference assessments corresponded with reinforcer assessments but that the paired-stimulus method was the most efficient.

中文翻译：

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配对和多重刺激无替代偏好评估的比较，以确定狗行为的强化物

如果狗有问题行为，它们可能会被送到收容所，并且不太可能被收养。消除问题行为的一个成功方法是通过基于行为原则的培训技术。使用积极强化的服从训练已成功地治疗狗的问题行为。为了使这种方法发挥作用，所选择的刺激必须起到强化物的作用。偏好评估可用于识别这些潜在的强化物。偏好评估是一种系统方法，用于识别可以通过产生偏好层次结构作为可能的强化物的刺激。尽管偏好和强化评估已成功应用于人类，但对非人类动物的研究仍然有限。所以，该研究的目的是比较配对刺激偏好评估与多重刺激偏好评估的功效和效率。结果表明，两种偏好评估的结果都与强化物评估相对应，但配对刺激方法是最有效的。