An indirect technique for establishing preferences for categories of reinforcement for severely and profoundly retarded individuals.

The development of a reinforcement survey hierarchy is described for programming severely and profundly retarded individuals. The survey identifies reinforcement preferences of severely and profoundly retarded individuals by means of an indirect categorical technique. The categorical technique views reinforcement as being educationally, environmentally, and developmentally characteristic of severely and profoundly retarded individuals. The survey is a preliminary step to more direct approaches to reinforcement, such as sampling or use of multiple reinforcements. Field data are discussed.