Establishment of Reinforcement for Looking at Books in Free-Play Settings Accelerates Preschoolers’ Learning to Read First Words

Using a four combined pre- and post-intervention and delayed multiple probe across participants designs, we tested the effects of establishing books as synchronous reinforcers for sustained observing responses and preference in free play settings for 16 participants on their rates of learning to read first words (aged 2 to 4 years-old, 11 special education preschoolers and 5 general education preschoolers). We set the criterion for having books established as synchronous reinforcers for looking at books 80% of the time in free play setting across multiple 5 min (independent variable) observations (5-s whole interval recording). Except for Participant J, Participants A-P learned read their first words (dependent variable) 1.6 to 10.8 times faster (x̅ = 4.0) as a function of establishing sustained observing responses for books. Different interventions were needed to condition books for different participants (i.e., operant, stimulus-stimulus pairings, and peer observational/denial procedures). Regardless of the type of intervention needed to establish conditioned reinforcement for books, 15 of 16 participants’ rate of acquisition of new textual responses increased as a function of establishing books as synchronous reinforcers in the free play setting. Limitations are discussed in terms of potential additive effects of interventions and areas of future procedural improvements. Results suggest that reinforcement and preference for observing books is one empirical definition of reading readiness.