An experiment was conducted to examine the functionality of using auditory stimuli in isolation as fading stimuli. A review of the literature revealed very few reports regarding the usage of the auditory modality for fading purposes. The study employed auditory prompts as fading stimuli in the transfer of stimulus control across stimulus modalities, specifically, the transfer of stimulus control from auditory to visual stimulus properties. A single subject was employed for the experiment. The results were that the intensity of the auditory stimulus was an ineffective dimension to use for fading operations in the transfer of stimulus control across stimulus modalities, Further investigation is needed regarding the conditions that limit the transfer of stimulus control when auditory prompts are employed as fading stimuli.

Individuals with autism often have deficient intraverbal repertoires. Previous research has found success in using a blocked trials procedure to facilitate discrimination training. A previous study (unpublished) from our laboratory extended this procedure to intraverbal training. The current study continued this line of research by exploring the outcomes of probing the criterion performance more frequently. Three children with autism, ages 7-13, participated. Eight question pairs were taught. One question was presented repeatedly until a specified number of consecutive correct responses occurred, then the other question was presented. Contingent on specific mastery criteria, the trial blocks were faded into smaller blocks until the questions were presented in quasi-random order. Between each step, a criterion probe was conducted to determine if further steps were necessary. The procedure has been successful for two of the three participants. Criterion probe performance showed that not all teaching steps were needed every time. The procedure may have facilitated acquisition over time, because the number of trials to mastery generally decreased over successive targets.

A one-trial learning color discrimination task was extrapolated from Jarvik's (1953) teaching color discrimination to primates. A yellow-blue discrimination was selected to teach eleven autistic children. As in Jarvik's, SD and SA, reinforcer and punisher, were one and the same. Sugar-flavored water was the S D alum-flavored water, S . The instrumental response of reaching for a colored glass and drinking was established. Then one-trial learning occurred. The learning tests were a block of twenty-five trials for each individual subject on the following day. The second day another block of twenty-five trials was administered to each subject. It was hypothesized that the subjects would function at a ninety per cent criterion level. None of the subjects learned the task.

A lot about the learning process still remains unknown. The experiments described in this thesis investigated variables that affect instructional efficiency by employing specifically programmed computers to manage and control instructional variables within each experiment for 6- to 7-year old children. A Measurement Procedures Study was undertaken to ascertain when a response should be classified as "acquired." It was decided to classify a response as acquired if it could be performed correctly (without prompting) seven days after instruction. A review of the relationship between accuracy level during instruction and the rate of acquisition found that higher accuracy levels during instruction tend to be associated with higher rates of acquisition provided that non-copying prompting procedures are employed. The first experiment investigated the relationship between accuracy level during instruction and rate of acquisition by presenting a non-copying antecedent prompt (model of the correct spelling word) depending on a preselected target accuracy level. As an error-contingent prompt (model of the correct spelling word) was also provided it could not be ascertained whether transfer of stimulus control occurred as a result of the antecedent prompt, or the error-contingent prompt, or both. The second experiment was a repeat of the first experiment with the error-contingent prompt removed. It was found that it was possible to manage, although not completely control, the accuracy level during instruction by presenting a simultaneous non-copying prompt and that higher accuracy levels during instruction were associated with higher rates of acquisition. A review that examined the error-correction research found that a variety of correction procedures were effective. However, none of the 36 experiments which were reviewed controlled the number of response opportunities. Experiment 3 compared the effects on rate of acquisition of presenting an antecedent model or an error-contingent model. The results of Experiment 3 showed that when the number of learning opportunities was controlled there was little difference in effectiveness or efficiency between an antecedent model and an error-contingent model. Experiment 4 compared the effects of presenting an error-contingent model against an error-contingent model and a secondary response opportunity. It was found that an error-contingent model was at least as effective, although it was overall less efficient when response opportunities were controlled. A supplementary analysis was undertaken to review and compare the results obtained across the four experiments. Across experiments each newly acquired spelling response required about five practice responses, on average. It appears this was a critical variable for acquisition. Additionally, each acquired response was acquired over a two-day period. Although rates of acquisition differed between high-achieving children and low-achieving children, there was little difference in the number of practice responses required for acquisition between these two groups. It was observed that most of the 6- to 7-year old participants found error feedback aversive and this appeared to result in reduced attention to models of the correct spelling when these occurred following errors. The results from this series of investigations suggest that an opportunity for the transfer of stimulus control from the prompt (model of the correct spelling) to the practice stimulus (the spoken word) is more critical for acquisition than where the prompt occurs within the trial (that is, the antecedent or consequent position). It was suggested that future research could investigate (a) the variables which are necessary for the transfer of stimulus control, (b) the generality of the observation that children require five practice responses in order to acquire discrete academic responses, and (c) the effects on rates of acquisition and instructional efficiency of varying the distribution in time of practice responses for children who are learning various types of academic skills.

When teaching discriminations, many researchers and practitioners recommend presenting multiple examples of both the correct and incorrect stimuli. To test this suggestion, we compared two procedures for presenting multiple examples. In one, multiple examples across trials (ME, Across), one correct (S+) and one incorrect (S-) stimulus were presented each trial; examples then changed across trials. In another procedure, multiple examples within trials (ME, Within), three stimuli (either 2 S+'s and 1 S-, or 1 S+ and 2 S-'s) were presented each trial; examples again changed across trials. Two experiments were conducted to test these procedures. The first procedure used a non-fading program to teach discrimination; the second used a fading procedure. In the first experiment, we taught 10 persons to identify words under these two procedures. The former procedure was superior in acquisition; the latter procedure, however, was better under generalization for most participants. In the second experiment, we presented the two procedures within a fading paradigm. The results replicated those in Experiment 1: ME, Across was better for acquisition, but ME, Within was better for generalization. Results were discussed and follow-up studies suggested.

This dissertation explored sane effects of context on the development of stimulus classes and the transfer of stimulus functions to novel stimuli. The research was also intended to demonstrate the utility of current behavioral theories for prediction and control of contextual effects on class formation. In Experiment lA, contextual control of stimulus classes was established successfully in all six college-student subjects. Matching-to-sample training successfully transferred the function of the contextual stimuli to four novel stimuli, whim resulted in the formation of two three-member classes of contextual stimuli. The first portion of Experiment 1B replicated Experiment 1A with three additional subjects. In the second portion, matching-to-sample training resulted in the establishment of two six-member contextual classes. In Experiment 2, three of four subjects learned a matching-to-sample task in whim the role of the contextual stimuli was controlled by a pair of ''higher-order'' contextual stimuli. 'Iwo of the subjects received matching-to-sample training in whim the function of the higher-order contextual stimuli was transferred to four novel stimuli, which resulted in the development of two three-member, higher-order contextual classes. Experiments 3A, 3B, and 3C demonstrated that sane groupings of stimuli are more difficult to learn than other groupings. The experiments found that overlapping roles of stimuli tended to confuse subjects and that subjects, when confused, would respond based on "familiarity" to stimuli rather than on the conditional relations. Experiments 4A and 4B demonstrated that types of matching performance (identity, oddity, and arbitrary) can be controlled by the presence of contextual stimuli. The experiments also provided evidence supporting the idea that generalized identity (reflexivity) and generalized oddity performances are closely related to, if not prerequisites for, successful arbitrary matching and the development of stimulus classes.

No description available.

A procedure in which the S- was prevented from being responded to, by electro-magnets, was used to establish color discriminations. The procedure was modified in Situation 1, to include the prevention of responses to the S+ if the S- was responded to first. The original procedure and modified procedure were used in Situation 1, with only the modified procedure being used in Situations 2 and 3. The procedure of reinforcing responses to the S+ and extinguishing responses to the S-, through nonreinforcement, was used in Situation 4. Data recorded consisted of the number of trials, the number of reinforcements, and which stimulus was first responded to. Criteria for the acquisition of a discrimination was 100 first responses to the S+. Results indicated that the modified procedure was much more effective in establishing the discriminations, than the original procedure or the procedure of reinforcing responses to the S+ and extinguishing responses to the S-. The modified procedure enhanced the establishment of stimulus control, reduced the number of errors and eliminated stereotyped responses.

Sometimes, changes in consequences are accompanied by a clear stimulus change explicitly arranged by the experimenter. Other times when new consequences are in effect, there is little or no accompanying stimulus change explicitly arranged by the experimenter. These differences can be seen in the laboratory as multiple (signaled) schedules and mixed (unsignaled) schedules. The current study used college students and a single-subject design to examine the effects of introducing signaled and unsignaled schedules, and the transitions between them. In one phase, a card was flipped from purple to white every time the schedule was switched from VR-3 to FT-10. In another phase, the schedule still changed periodically, but the card always remained on the purple side. Results showed that the participants' responding was controlled by the schedule of reinforcement, by the color of the card, or both. These results suggest that changes in patterns of reinforcement lead to changes in stimulus control. In addition, the stimulus control for a behavior can come from several different sources. During teaching, it may facilitate the development of stimulus control to change the environment when a new behavior is required.

Leitura recombinativa é a habilidade de ler sob controle de unidades verbais menores. Esse fenômeno é estudado por meio do treino, em MTS, entre palavras orais e impressas; e testes de leitura com novas palavras. Os resultados dos experimentos têm sido variáveis na literatura. Os procedimentos mais eficazes são os que treinam as unidades menores direta ou indiretamente. Experimentos sobre Equivalência demonstraram que reforçadores específicos produzem relações entre reforçadores, estímulos modelo e de escolha. Para investigar o efeito de conseqüências específicas sobre a leitura recombinativa, foi realizado um experimento com três grupos de quatro participantes, com idades entre 20 e 30 anos. Os objetivos foram verificar se sílabas, de palavras dissílabas, seriam relacionadas aos componentes das conseqüências e se estes componentes teriam efeitos sobre a leitura recombinativa. Treinou-se palavras orais dissílabas como modelo e impressas como estímulos de escolha. Foram apresentadas conseqüências específicas compostas por dois estímulos para os Grupos 1 e cada componente do estímulo da conseqüência correspondia a uma sílaba, podendo se constituir em um treino indireto de unidades menores. As conseqüências foram duas cores apresentadas no local dos estímulos de escolha para o Grupo 1 e duas figuras apresentadas no centro da tela para o Grupo 2. Os três grupos passaram por testes de leitura receptivo-auditiva e de comportamento textual. Os Grupos 1 e 2 também passaram por testes entre sílabas e cores, ou figuras. Os dados de cada participante foram analisados individualmente, e os resultados dos grupos foram comparados utilizando o teste de Mann-Whitney. Apesar de não ter havido significância estatística, os participantes do Grupo 1 cometeram menos erros nos treinos e nos testes de leitura receptivo-auditiva e de comportamento textual do que os outros grupos. Os participantes do Grupo 3 cometeram mais erros em todas as fases do experimento, em comparação aos outros grupos. Dois participantes do Grupo 1 e um participante do Grupo 2 desempenharam com mais de 93% de acertos nos testes entre componentes das conseqüências e sílabas. As conseqüências específicas tiveram pouco efeito positivo, ou nenhum, sobre o desempenho nos treinos e testes de leitura recombinativa. A maior efetividade das cores, em comparação com as figuras, em produzir relações entre conseqüências e estímulos modelo e de escolha pode estar ligada à sua proximidade espacial com os estímulos de escolha e/ou à sua maior simplicidade e facilidade de nomeação em comparação às figuras. O insucesso de alguns participantes em relacionar cores, ou figuras e sílabas pode ser decorrência da grande quantidade de relações requeridas pelo procedimento. Simplificações do procedimento realizadas com participantes com pouca experiência verbal podem esclarecer se o sucesso de alguns participantes nos testes com componentes das conseqüências são resultado de sua possível função reforçadora ou da capacidade dos participantes de nomear estímulos. / Recombinative reading is the ability of reading under the control of smaller verbal units. This phenomenon is investigated through the training, in MTS, of dictated and printed words; and tests of reading with new words. The results of these experiments had varied in the literature. The most effective procedures are those in which the smaller units are direct or indirect trained. Experiments in Equivalence have shown that specific outcomes produce relations among reinforcers, samples and choice stimuli. For investigating the effects of specific outcomes over recombinative reading, it was conduced an experiment with three groups of four participants, with ages varying from 20 to 30. The aims of the experiment were verifying if the syllables, of two-syllable words, would be related to the consequences components and the effects of the specific outcomes over the recombinative reading. The training was done between two-syllable dictated words as samples and printed words as choice stimuli. Specific consequences compounded by two stimuli were presented to Groups 1 and 2; each stimulus of the consequence was correspondent to a syllable, which could be an indirect training of smaller units. The consequences were two colors presented in the same place of the choice stimuli for Group 1, and two figures presented on the center of the screen for Group 2. The three groups were tested in auditory-receptive reading and textual behavior. Groups 1 and 2 were also tested in relations between the syllables and the consequences components. The data of each participant was individually analyzed, and comparisons among the results of each group were made through the Mann-Whitney test. Although there has not been occurred statically significant results, the participants of Group 1 were those who have made less mistakes than the other groups in training, auditory-receptive tests and textual behavior tests. The participants of Group 3 have made more mistakes in comparison with the other groups in all phases of the experiment. Two participants of Group 1 and one participant of Group 2 have performed with more than 93% of correct responses in tests between syllables and consequences components. The specific consequences have had little positive effect, or none, over the participants performances in training and recombinativa reading tests. The larger effectiveness of colors, in comparison with the figures in produce relations among the consequences components, samples and choice stimuli, could be connected with its proximity to the syllables, and/or with its higher simplicity and easiness of naming in comparison with the figures. The lack of success of some participants in relating colors or figures to syllables seems to be a consequence of the great amount of relations required by the procedure. Simplifications of the procedure executed with participants with little verbal experience could clarify if the success of some participants in tests with the consequences components were result of its possible reinforcer function or of the ability of the participants in naming stimuli.