Brief Report: Feasibility of the Probabilistic Reversal Learning Task as an Outcome Measure in an Intervention Trial for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 52; no. 9; pp. 4191 - 4199
• Main Authors: Schmitt, Lauren M., Sweeney, John A., Erickson, Craig A., Shaffer, Rebecca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.09.2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Anxiety Disorders; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology; Autism Spectrum Disorder - therapy; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Behavior modification; Behavior Problems; Behavior Rating Scales; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Brief Report; Care and treatment; Caregivers; Child and School Psychology; Cognition disorders; Cognitive Ability; Cognitive flexibility; Cognitive Measurement; Complications and side effects; Cooperative Learning; Curricula; Emotional regulation; Emotional Response; Evaluation; Feasibility; Feasibility Studies; Flexibility; Humans; Intervention; Learning; Measurement; Measurement Techniques; Methods; Neurosciences; Outcome and process assessment (Health Care); Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Outcome Measures; Outcomes of Treatment; Patient outcomes; Pediatrics; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Psychology; Public Health; Reproducibility; Reproducibility of Results; Reversal; Reversal learning; Reversal Learning - physiology; Risk factors; Self Control; Time; United States; Outcome measurement; Cognitive flexibility; Reversal learning; Autism spectrum disorder
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05288-y
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432

Cognitive flexibility deficits are a hallmark feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but few evidence-based behavioral interventions have successfully addressed this treatment target. Outcome measurement selection may help account for previous findings. The probabilistic reversal learning task (PRL) is a measure of cognitive flexibility previously validated for use in ASD, but its use as an outcome measure has not yet been assessed. The current study examined the feasibility, reproducibility, and sensitivity of PRL in a within-subjects trial of Regulating Together , a group-based intervention targeting emotion regulation. We demonstrated the PRL is highly feasible, showed test–retest reproducibility, and is sensitive to detect change following the intervention. Our findings demonstrate the PRL task may be a useful outcome measure of cognitive flexibility in future intervention trials in ASD.