The Survey of Rewards for Teens-Revised: A Brief Psychometric Report and Assessment of Reward Preferences in STEM Education

Abstract

The Survey of Rewards for Teens-Revised (SORT-R) was developed amid the introduction of novel, and potentially rewarding, environmental stimuli fueled by technological progression. The presence of new stimuli, on an individual basis, may decrease self-reported preference for existing rewards. This poses an issue for clinicians and caregivers who aim to encourage prosocial behaviors in others through consequent-based behavior programs. The primary purpose of the present study was to evaluate (a) the test-retest reliability of the SORT-R over a two-week period and (b) the internal consistency of the SORT-R. The second purpose was to evaluate the reward preferences of adolescents (N = 55; male: 45%) who attended a STEM-focused high school in the Western United States. Two administrations of the SORT-R took place over a two-week period. Results indicate that the SORT-R was a reliable measure over a two-week period and demonstrated adequate internal consistency across all six domains. Adolescent reward preferences are presented by academic grade and gender. Implications for behavior programs are discussed.

Keywords:

• Adolescent
• assessment
• intervention
• psychometrics
• reward survey
• rewards