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Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior SIG Career Award: Celebrating the Contributions of Dr. Harry MacKay. |
Saturday, May 24, 2014 |
4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
W176c (McCormick Place Convention Center) |
Area: EAB/VBC; Domain: Basic Research |
Chair: Eric A. Jacobs (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) |
Discussant: Eric A. Jacobs (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) |
Abstract: The Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Special Interest Group invites you to formally recognize the contributions of Dr. Harry MacKay. Dr. Mackays research examines behavioral processes, particularly forms of conditional discrimination, that are relevant to teaching rudimentary aspects of preacademic skills to people with and without developmental disabilities. Dr. William Dube, a former student, longtime friend, and colleague of Dr. MacKay's, will review and reflect upon Dr. MacKay's career and his many contributions toward advancing our understanding of complex human behavior. Subsequently, Dr. MacKay will deliver a data-based award address in which he will review the current state of his research program with an eye toward future directions. Please join us to appreciate and celebrate the career of Dr. Harry MacKay. |
Keyword(s): Conditional Discrimination, Sequence Constructions, Stimulus Control |
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Dr. Harry Mackay's Contributions to the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior |
WILLIAM V. DUBE (E.K. Shriver Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School) |
Abstract: On the occasion of Dr. Mackay's acceptance of the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior SIG Career Award, I will briefly review his career and contributions. Dr. Mackay played an important role in the ground-breaking Lavers Hall Project in 1965, when he and other members of the Massachusetts General Hospital Neurology Service started to apply the methods of behavior analysis for the first time with institutionalized boys with severe intellectual disabilities. Dr. Mackay's subsequent contributions include the development of methods to teach conditional discriminations to individuals with severe intellectual disabilities, the constructed-response matching-to-sample technique, analysis of sequential stimulus classes and ordinal class membership, and studies in several areas relevant to stimulus equivalence research. |
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Conditional stimulus control and the acquisition and emergence of pre-academic skills. |
HARRY MACKAY (University of Massachusetts Medical School) |
Abstract: Dr. Mackay will focus on research that examines behavioral processes, particularly forms of conditional stimulus control, that are relevant to teaching rudimentary aspects of pre-academic skills to individuals with and without developmental disabilities. One aspect of the research involves study of constructed-response matching to sample and its role in equivalence class formation and reading, spelling and numeric performances. Other studies of the ordinal properties and class memberships acquired by stimuli used in sequence construction tasks provide bases for a behavior analytic approach to syntactic repertoires, including the novel emergent behavior called transitive inference. The development of matching-to-sample and sequencing procedures that may facilitate acquisition of the conditional stimulus control required in such performances is ongoing. Some research uses fading procedures with dynamic stimuli that change both within and across trials. Other work uses manipulations of display formats to yield “popout” of the correct stimulus (e.g., via display as the odd stimulus) and gradual reduction (fading) of that visual effect. Potential future directions of the research will be discussed. |
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