|
| Cultural Selection of Higher Order Verbal Operants |
| Tuesday, May 31, 2005 |
| 9:00 AM–10:20 AM |
| Stevens 3 (Lower Level) |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Robin Nuzzolo (Teachers College, Columbia University) |
| Abstract: The four papers presented tested the effects of either various establishing operations or multiple exemplar instruction/opportunities on the novel production of various verbal operants: mands, tacts, dictation, etc on preschool and elementary aged students with autism and related developmental disabilities. All studies resulted in the emergence of untaught responses post the independent variable. The results are discussed in terms of naming, stimulus equivalence and relational frame theory. |
| |
| Multiple Exemplar Instruction and the Emergence of Novel Production of Suffixes as Autoclitic Frames |
| JEANNE MARIE SPECKMAN (Fred S. Keller School) |
| Abstract: Three experiments are reported that tested the effects of multiple exemplar instruction on the novel production of tacts containing suffixes as autoclitic frames for seven preschool age males with and without language based disabilities. The independent variable for the Pilot Experiment was multiple exemplar instruction that interspersed match to sample and tact instruction. The dependent variables were the number of untaught tact responses containing the target autoclitic frame -er signifying one who performs an action. The independent variable for both Experiments 1 and 2 was multiple exemplar tact instruction. The dependent variable for both experiments was the number of untaught tact responses containing target autoclitic frames across regular, irregular and "nonsense" comparative adjectives. The participant in the Pilot Experiment was a three year four month old male with a developmental disability. An intrasubject multiple probe across sets design was employed. The results showed a correlation between multiple exemplar match to sample and tact instruction and novel, untaught tact responses containing the autoclitic frame -er .The participants in Experiment I were three preschool males with developmental disabilities. A multiple probe with time lagged multiple baseline design was employed to determine if there was a functional relation between multiple exemplar tact instruction and novel, untaught tact responses containing the autoclitic -er signifyjng the comparative form of an adjective. The results of this experiment showed a functional relation between the dependent and independent variables. The experimental conditions were replicated in Experiment II for two preschool males with disabilities and one typically developing preschool male. In Experiment II, however, opportunities to respond with previously taught tacts containing the autoclitic -er were not rotated with the presentation of untaught stimuli, and there were fewer opportunities for students to respond during probe sessions. These changes were made to target motivational variables and to control for a possible confounding effect of the previously taught tacts. The results of Experiment II again showed a functional relationship between multiple exemplar tact instruction and novel) untaught tact responses containing the target autoclitic frame. |
| |
| Multiple Exemplar Instruction and Transformation of Stimulus Function from Auditory-Visual Matching to Visual-Visual Matching |
| HYE-SUK LEE PARK (Fred S. Keller School) |
| Abstract: The present study was to test an effect of multiple exemplar instruction on transformation of stimulus function from pointing to symbols or pictures to tact symbols or pictures and vice versa: Transformation of stimulus function from pointing to corresponding written words to tact those words and vice versa was also tested. Finally, transformation of stimulus function from auditory-visual matching by pointing or tact to visual-visual matching by matching symbols or pictures with corresponding written words was tested. 7 three or four-year old children with developmental disabilities participated in the study. Instruction and probe sessions were conducted in a publicly funded private pre-school in a major metropolitan area. Four sets of symbols or pictures and four sets of corresponding written words were used during the study. Data were collected within a design of time-legged multiple baseline across participants with multiple probes. The results of the study demonstrated that multiple exemplar instruction facilitated transformation of stimulus function across response classes, pointing to, tact, and matching stimuli. The results were discussed in terms of naming and rudimentary reading comprehension. |
| |
| An Experimental Analysis of the Transformation of Stimulus Function from Speaker to Listener and Listener to Speaker |
| CAROL A. FIORILE (Teachers College, Columbia University) |
| Abstract: In the first study, three 10-year-old students with autism were taught to textually respond to novel text. These students had the naming repertoire for 2- and 3-dimensional stimuli, but did not have the naming repertoire for the textual and comprehension repertoire. Following an intervention in which the students were taught to textually respond to sets of 3 stimuli, untaught listener responses emerged. The experimental design was a delayed multiple-baseline multiple-probe design, with counterbalanced control for the treatment condition. The results of the first experiment showed that teaching the textual response was sufficient in the transformation of stimulus function. In Experiment Two, I tested whether tact training, a single competency) was sufficient for establishing the naming repertoire for four students with autism. Prior to the implementation of this experiment, none of the four students had the naming repertoire for 2- or 3 -dimensional stimuli. A delayed multiple-baseline multiple-probe design, counterbalanced for the control and experimental conditions, was used. The results of this experiment showed that for all four students, the tact only (i.e., control) condition was not sufficient for the naming repertoire to emerge. Following MEI (i.e., experimental condition), all four students showed the naming repertoire. The test for transfom1ation of stimulus function across behavioral competencies was extended to novel sets. The results showed that following multiple exposures to ME!, all four students had the naming repertoire for novel stimuli. The outcomes of both experiments are discussed in terms of theories associated with Stimulus Equivalence, Relational Frame Theory, and Home and Lowe's Naming Theory. |
| |
| The Bi-directional Relationship in the Development of Naming in Typical Two-Year Old Children |
| LINA GILIC (Teachers College, Columbia University) |
| Abstract: Three experiments were conducted to investigate when children with listener and speaker repertoires functions as speaker as own listener (naming). Experiment investigated whether listener responding or speaker responding were independent or necessary together to produce speaker as own listener responding (or naming)? And second, was there a sequence for teaching listener and speaker repertoires to produce speaker as own listener responding (or naming)? Data showed that Child J and Child L did not show transfer of repertoire function from listener to speaker but did from speaker .-' to listener. Following the manipulation of the order of presentation for listener and speaker responding, Child J and Child L were then able to function from listener to speaker. Experiment n investigated first, are listener responding or speaker responding independent or necessary together to produce speaker as own listener responding (or naming) to generative behavior? And second, was there a sequence for teaching speaker -" as own listener responding (or naming) for generative responding? Following multiple exemplar instruction, Child J and Child L were able to function from listener to speaker to a group of novel stimuli. Data showed that the experience was able to produce the response. Experiment ill investigated whether multiple exemplar instruction produces I joint listener control for speaker as own listener responding? And second, does speaker as own listener responding enable children to emit generative responding when presented with multiple exemplar instruction across different sets of stimuli? Data showed the transformation of stimulus function and also stimulus generalization following the experience of multiple exemplar instruction. The responses the students did not emit following listener instruction were emitted as a result of the multiple exemplar instruction with a different set of novel stimuli. |
|
| |