Covert Reinforcer Sampling

Description of the Strategy

Covert reinforcer sampling is an imagery-based procedure used in conjunction with other treatment interventions when the goal of therapy involves increasing number and range of reinforcing events and items available to clients. After presenting a rationale to the client about the importance of a variety of activities in a person's life and the problems that may develop from a lack of pleasurable experiences, the therapist works with the client to determine what things may be enjoyable to him or her. The interview process is facilitated by use of the Reinforcement Survey Schedule, a list of items including a variety of stimuli that the client is asked to rate according to the degree of pleasure associated with each item. The items of greatest value [Page 233]on this survey for the use of the covert reinforcer sampling procedure are those that involve action, such as attending musical events, sports and recreational activities, hosting parties, and so forth. Any item that the client identifies from this list as at least somewhat pleasurable may be included as an event to be sampled.

The next step is development of a series of images about those events selected for sampling. Some examples of such images include visiting with friends, calling someone on the telephone, taking a drive to the ocean or mountains, playing tennis, inviting friends to a meal at a favorite restaurant, or swimming in the sea. The technique does not involve presentation of either reinforcing or punishing consequences. The client is asked to imagine several of the agreed-upon stimulus events in as much graphic detail as possible several times a day in blocks of 10 to 15 trials each time. Each image should include as many different sensory aspects of the stimulus as possible (e.g., feeling the warmth of the summer air, hearing the surf, seeing the sun setting on the water, and tasting a cold drink). To avoid satiation of the reinforcer, it is important to vary the stimulus material.

Covert reinforcer sampling was adapted from the operant conditioning procedure of reinforcer sampling, to allow for presentation of stimuli through a symbolic rather than physical venue. Reinforcer sampling is itself a variation on the technique of response priming, which is any procedure that initiates early steps in a sequence of responses. Reinforcer sampling is used to begin the process of involving a client in a low-frequency activity, with the goal of encouraging the client to increase his or her participation in that activity. For example, if one wanted to increase participation in an exercise class, the client would be taken to visit the class, take in the sensory information from the class, including the music, the colorful clothes, the attention from an instructor, the taste of a healthy juice drink, and so forth. Then, the client might be encouraged to try one of the exercises, simply sit, or stand on an apparatus without exerting any effort. When all aspects of the experience are sampled, the assumption is that the client is more likely to join the exercise class.

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