Which practice involves brief checks throughout sessions to maintain motivation for work?

• A. Informal Preference Check
• B. Preference Assessments
• C. ABC Data
• D. FAST

Answer: (A)

Informal preference checks focus on quick, in-the-moment probes to see what the learner currently finds reinforcing. The idea is to keep motivation high by offering items or activities that are most motivating at that moment, and to adjust reinforcement on the fly based on the learner’s responses. Because these checks are brief and informal, they can be done during sessions without disrupting work, allowing you to respond to shifts in interest or motivation and keep the learner engaged with the task at hand.

Formal preference assessments, by contrast, are more structured and designed to identify preferences before or outside of ongoing work, using systematic procedures to rank or select items. ABC data is about recording what happens before, during, and after a behavior to analyze function, not about maintaining motivation in real time. FAST is a screening tool used to infer the function of a behavior, not to sustain engagement through quick reinforcement adjustments.

So, the practice of performing brief, ongoing checks to identify current motivators is the most effective way to keep motivation strong throughout work sessions.