The experimenter conducted three experiments to compare incidental language acquisition of familiar and non-familiar stimuli, and asses the effects of specific pairing experiences on the emergence of bidirectional naming (BiN) for familiar and non-familiar stimuli. In Experiment I the experimenter assessed the numbers of accurate untaught listener and speaker responses for familiar and non-familiar stimuli emitted by 20 first-grade participants following incidental naming experiences. A statistical comparison of the results using a dependent paired samples t-tests revealed significant differences across familiar and non-familiar stimuli for: (a) listener responses, (b) speaker tact responses, and (c) speaker intraverbal tact responses. In Experiment II, the experimenter tested the effectiveness of a repeated probe procedure on the emergence of BiN for familiar and non-familiar stimuli using a combined multiple probe and simultaneous treatment design. Six participants were selected from Experiment I based on their absence of BiN for non-familiar stimuli. The experimenter implemented a repeated probe intervention procedure across two treatment conditions: (1) non-familiar stimuli sets and (2) mixed (non-familiar and familiar) stimuli sets. Following each intervention phase, post-intervention naming probe results demonstrated increased numbers of accurate untaught listener and speaker responses for familiar and non-familiar stimuli by all participants. Time constraints of the school year limited completion of the intervention for 2 participant dyads. Findings suggested the potential effectiveness of the repeated probe procedure. Experiment III was a systematic replication of Experiment II with 6 different participants. Results demonstrated the emergence of: (a) BiN for non-familiar stimuli by five participants; and (b) BiN for familiar stimuli by all participants who demonstrated absence during pre-intervention probe sessions. Findings from Experiments II and III suggested that the repeated probe procedure effectively functioned as a conditioning procedure for the emergence of conditioned reinforcement for observing responses to visual and vocal familiar and non-familiar stimuli. That is, the repeated probe procedure shifted the reinforcement effects of conditioned stimuli to previously neutral stimuli, bringing one’s observing responses under a new stimulus control. This stimulus control (i.e., reinforcement effects) embedded within functioned to select out the participant’s observing responses during incidental naming experiences.

O efeito do reforçamento é apontado como a principal variável para a formação de discriminações condicionais e de equivalência de estímulos. Pesquisas têm se concentrado em analisar outras variáveis que influenciam a formação de discriminações condicionais e de equivalência de estímulos. Tais estudos sugerem que o comportamento verbal pode facilitar a formação do responder discriminativo e da equivalência de estímulos, porém poucas pesquisas tem se concentrado em investigar o efeito do comportamento verbal autoclítico neste responder. O objetivo da presente pesquisa foi analisar se uma instrução que orientou o participante a emitir uma resposta verbal vocal com autoclítico qualificador de asserção é, entre a apresentação do estímulo modelo e a escolha do estímulo amostra, em uma tarefa de matching to sample produz efeitos na formação de novas classes de equivalência e influencia na quantidade de tentativas necessárias para a formação do responder discriminativo condicional. Foram utilizados vinte participantes adultos divididos em dois grupos, Grupo Controle e Grupo Experimental. Todos os participantes foram submetidos a três etapas de treino e três etapas de testes. Na primeira etapa foram treinadas as relações A1B1, A2B2, A3B3 e A1C1, A2C2, A3C3 e testada a formação de classes equivalência entre os estímulos B1C1, B2C2, B3C3; na segunda etapa foram treinadas as relações A1B1, A2B2, A3B3 e A1C1, A2C2, A3C3 e testada à formação de classes equivalência entre os estímulos B1C1, B2C2, B3C3; na terceira etapa foram treinadas as relações A1B1, A2B2, A3B3 e A1C1, A2C2, A3C3 e testada à formação de classes equivalência entre os estímulos B1C1, B2C2, B3C3. Cada treino foi composto por doze tentativas, tendo como critério de aprendizagem a ocorrência de 100% de respostas corretas. A instrução foi apresentada apenas aos participantes do Grupo Experimental. Os resultados obtidos não apresentam diferenças de desempenho, entre os grupos na média de tentativas necessárias em todas as etapas de treino, entretanto o Grupo Experimental apresenta um desempenho inicial superior ao do Grupo Controle na média de respostas corretas nas Etapas de treino e um desempenho superior do Grupo Experimental na média de respostas corretas durante todas as etapas de teste do experimento. É possível afirmar que o efeito inicial do autoclítico foi de aumentar a precisão das respostas facilitando a aquisição da discriminação condicional e da formação de equivalência de estímulos. Tal precisão produzida pelo autoclítico pode ter auxiliado o participante a emitir um operante verbal intraverbal que descreve as discriminações condicionais ensinadas e testadas no experimento, já que todos os participantes do Grupo Experimental passaram a emitir a resposta verbal vocal este é este, acompanhado da resposta de escolha correta entre os estímulos condicional e discriminativo / The effect of reinforcement is pointed as the main variable for formation of conditional discrimination and stimulus equivalence. Researches have concentrated on analyzing other variables that influence the formation of conditional discrimination and stimulus equivalence. Such studies suggest that verbal behavior can facilitate formation of discriminative responding and stimulus equivalence, however few researches have focused on investigate the effect of autoclitic verbal behavior in this responding. The purpose of the present research was to analyze if an instruction that oriented the participant to emit a vocal verbal response, the autoclitic qualifier is, between the presentation of model stimulus and the choice of the sample stimulus in a task of match to sample, produces effects in formation of new equivalence classes and if it influences over the quantity of trials required to meet conditional discriminative responding. Twenty participants were dived in two groups, Control Group and Experimental Group. All the participants were submitted to three stages of training and three stages of tests. During the first stage of training the relations A1B1, A2B2, A3B3 e A1C1, A2C2, A3C3 were trained and were tested the formation of equivalence classes between stimulus B1C1, B2C2, B3C3; on the second stage of training the relations A1B1, A2B2, A3B3 e A1C1, A2C2, A3C3 and was tested the formation of equivalence classes between stimulus B1C1, B2C2, B3C3; on the third stage were trained the relations A1B1, A2B2, A3B3 e A1C1, A2C2, A3C3 and tested the formation of equivalence classes between the stimulus B1C1, B2C2, B3C3. Each training was composed by twelve trials. The learning was 100% of correct. The instruction was presented just for the participants in Experimental Group. The results dont show differences in performance between groups in mean trials required at all stages of training, however, the experimental group has a higher initial performance of the control group in mean correct responses in steps training and superior performance the experimental group the average of correct responses during all phases of the test experiment. It can be argued that the initial effect of autoclitic was to increase the accuracy of responses by facilitating the acquisition of the conditional discrimination and stimulus equivalence training . Such precision produced by autoclitic may have helped the participant to issue a verbal operant intraverbal depicting taught conditional discriminations and tested in the experiment , as all participants in the experimental group started to emit vocal verbal response \" this is it\" , accompanied by the answer correct choice between conditional and discriminative stimuli

O efeito do reforçamento é apontado como a principal variável para a formação de discriminações condicionais e de equivalência de estímulos. Pesquisas têm se concentrado em analisar outras variáveis que influenciam a formação de discriminações condicionais e de equivalência de estímulos. Tais estudos sugerem que o comportamento verbal pode facilitar a formação do responder discriminativo e da equivalência de estímulos, porém poucas pesquisas tem se concentrado em investigar o efeito do comportamento verbal autoclítico neste responder. O objetivo da presente pesquisa foi analisar se uma instrução que orientou o participante a emitir uma resposta verbal vocal com autoclítico qualificador de asserção é, entre a apresentação do estímulo modelo e a escolha do estímulo amostra, em uma tarefa de matching to sample produz efeitos na formação de novas classes de equivalência e influencia na quantidade de tentativas necessárias para a formação do responder discriminativo condicional. Foram utilizados vinte participantes adultos divididos em dois grupos, Grupo Controle e Grupo Experimental. Todos os participantes foram submetidos a três etapas de treino e três etapas de testes. Na primeira etapa foram treinadas as relações A1B1, A2B2, A3B3 e A1C1, A2C2, A3C3 e testada a formação de classes equivalência entre os estímulos B1C1, B2C2, B3C3; na segunda etapa foram treinadas as relações A1B1, A2B2, A3B3 e A1C1, A2C2, A3C3 e testada à formação de classes equivalência entre os estímulos B1C1, B2C2, B3C3; na terceira etapa foram treinadas as relações A1B1, A2B2, A3B3 e A1C1, A2C2, A3C3 e testada à formação de classes equivalência entre os estímulos B1C1, B2C2, B3C3. Cada treino foi composto por doze tentativas, tendo como critério de aprendizagem a ocorrência de 100% de respostas corretas. A instrução foi apresentada apenas aos participantes do Grupo Experimental. Os resultados obtidos não apresentam diferenças de desempenho, entre os grupos na média de tentativas necessárias em todas as etapas de treino, entretanto o Grupo Experimental apresenta um desempenho inicial superior ao do Grupo Controle na média de respostas corretas nas Etapas de treino e um desempenho superior do Grupo Experimental na média de respostas corretas durante todas as etapas de teste do experimento. É possível afirmar que o efeito inicial do autoclítico foi de aumentar a precisão das respostas facilitando a aquisição da discriminação condicional e da formação de equivalência de estímulos. Tal precisão produzida pelo autoclítico pode ter auxiliado o participante a emitir um operante verbal intraverbal que descreve as discriminações condicionais ensinadas e testadas no experimento, já que todos os participantes do Grupo Experimental passaram a emitir a resposta verbal vocal este é este, acompanhado da resposta de escolha correta entre os estímulos condicional e discriminativo / The effect of reinforcement is pointed as the main variable for formation of conditional discrimination and stimulus equivalence. Researches have concentrated on analyzing other variables that influence the formation of conditional discrimination and stimulus equivalence. Such studies suggest that verbal behavior can facilitate formation of discriminative responding and stimulus equivalence, however few researches have focused on investigate the effect of autoclitic verbal behavior in this responding. The purpose of the present research was to analyze if an instruction that oriented the participant to emit a vocal verbal response, the autoclitic qualifier is, between the presentation of model stimulus and the choice of the sample stimulus in a task of match to sample, produces effects in formation of new equivalence classes and if it influences over the quantity of trials required to meet conditional discriminative responding. Twenty participants were dived in two groups, Control Group and Experimental Group. All the participants were submitted to three stages of training and three stages of tests. During the first stage of training the relations A1B1, A2B2, A3B3 e A1C1, A2C2, A3C3 were trained and were tested the formation of equivalence classes between stimulus B1C1, B2C2, B3C3; on the second stage of training the relations A1B1, A2B2, A3B3 e A1C1, A2C2, A3C3 and was tested the formation of equivalence classes between stimulus B1C1, B2C2, B3C3; on the third stage were trained the relations A1B1, A2B2, A3B3 e A1C1, A2C2, A3C3 and tested the formation of equivalence classes between the stimulus B1C1, B2C2, B3C3. Each training was composed by twelve trials. The learning was 100% of correct. The instruction was presented just for the participants in Experimental Group. The results dont show differences in performance between groups in mean trials required at all stages of training, however, the experimental group has a higher initial performance of the control group in mean correct responses in steps training and superior performance the experimental group the average of correct responses during all phases of the test experiment. It can be argued that the initial effect of autoclitic was to increase the accuracy of responses by facilitating the acquisition of the conditional discrimination and stimulus equivalence training . Such precision produced by autoclitic may have helped the participant to issue a verbal operant intraverbal depicting taught conditional discriminations and tested in the experiment , as all participants in the experimental group started to emit vocal verbal response \" this is it\" , accompanied by the answer correct choice between conditional and discriminative stimuli

The purpose of this study was to conduct parametric analyses of verbal behavior developmental protocols used to induce verbal behavioral cusps and capabilities. A parametric analysis detects the relationship between different values of an independent variable and its effects on behavior. Researchers manipulate parameters of an independent variable such as its quantity, rate, latency, intensity, or duration. In this study, the goal of the analysis was to determine how different parameters of developmental protocols affect the time required to induce verbal developmental cusps and how these parameters vary as a function of the differences in the cusps and capabilities present prior to initiating a protocol. In Experiment I, I conducted a parametric analysis of the intensity of an Intensive Tact Instruction (ITI) protocol on the induction of Bidirectional Naming (BiN). I selected eight participants due to absence of BiN in their repertoire while still demonstrating listener literacy and echoic, mand, and tact repertoires. I matched the participants into dyads based on their similarity in BiN level and rate of learning to assess the effects of the full (100 learn unit) intensity and the accelerated (50 learn unit) intensity of the ITI protocol. Results found varied results dependent on the students’ level of cusps/capabilities and degree of BiN at the onset of the intervention. Students with Unidirectional Naming (UniN) and higher capabilities at the onset of the protocol demonstrated that the intensities produced similar effects on inducing BiN; however, the accelerated protocol produced this outcome in fewer learning opportunities, suggesting the efficiency of the accelerated protocol. Students who demonstrated No-incidental Naming (NiN, or independence of listener and speaker repertoires) at the onset of the study demonstrated mixed results from the intervention, regardless of intervention intensity. While UniN could be established with these students with both the full and accelerated intensity of ITI, results on demonstrating BiN in these students varied. The outcomes are discussed in terms of efficiency and cost effectiveness, as well as the significance of conducting parametric analyses on protocols. In Experiment II, I conducted a parametric analysis of the stringency of an Auditory Match-to-Sample (AM) protocol on the induction of accurate echoics. I again matched participants into dyads based on their rate of learning and their similarity in echoic responses, to test the effects of the full (90% accuracy across 20 trials) criterion and the accelerated (5 consecutive correct responses) criterion of the AM protocol. Participants demonstrated increases in their full echoic emissions following the AM intervention, regardless of the stringency of the criterion delivered (i.e., full vs. accelerated). Results across both Experiment I and II demonstrated the positive effects of conducting parametric analyses on protocols used to induce verbal behavioral cusps, to develop more efficient methods. Despite the manipulation to more accelerated parameters of the protocol intervention, comparable behavior change occurred across verbal behavior developmental cusps for both experiments.

I conducted a descriptive study consisting of 30 preschool participants with and without disabilities to examine the relation between the 3 bidirectional operants. The bidirectional operants were speaker-as-own-listener cusps, which included bidirectional verbal operants between people, bidirectional self-talk conversational units, and Bidirectional Naming (BiN). Using previously recorded videos of 10-min of social play (between-people condition) and 10-min of isolated fantasy play (self-talk condition), I recorded each instance of verbal behavior as a vocal initiation (VI), a non-vocal initiation (NI), a vocal response (VR), and a non-vocal response (NR). These initial recordings were further analyzed into the number of unidirectional and bidirectional verbal operants between people, unidirectional and bidirectional self-talk, single topography verbal behaviors, multiple topography verbal behaviors, missed opportunities, initiations, responses, and numbers of verbal episodes. The data collection procedure consisted of identifying each instance of verbal behavior during the between-people and self-talk fantasy play conditions and identifying the rotation in the participant’s role as a speaker and a listener within the verbal episodes to measure the social reinforcement function. For BiN, I measured the number of untaught listener responses (10 selection responses) and the number of untaught speaker responses (10 tact and 10 intraverbal responses) with familiar and unfamiliar novel stimuli following a naming experience in which the participants received 20 opportunities to hear the names of 5 novel stimuli while observing the pictures of the stimuli. Data were statistically analyzed using parametric and nonparametric analyses with Bonferroni corrected p-value. The results of the study were as follow: (1) the participants’ demographic characteristics were independent of their demonstrations of the three bidirectional operants, (2) BiN with unfamiliar stimuli was related to the participants’ emission of the bidirectional verbal operants between people, (3) the components of BiN and the bidirectional self-talk conversational units were independent but the results are inconclusive, (4) the unidirectional verbal operants between people were related to the bidirectional self-talk conversational units, and (5) the participants’ additional communicative verbal behaviors (i.e., vocal and non-vocal verbal behaviors, single and multiple topographies verbal behaviors, initiations, and responses) were independent of their degrees of BiN. The analyses of data suggested that there may be an underlying social reinforcement that is shared amongst the three bidirectional operants. Some may be more observable, such as the shared social reinforcement function between the bidirectional verbal operants between people and BiN with unfamiliar stimuli; whereas some may be less observable, as it may be manifested in a form of an audience control rather than social reinforcement function. Thus, the current study adds to the existing literature on verbal development as it shows the relation between the three bidirectional operants and the importance of social reinforcement not only to engage in conversation with others but to learn names of new unfamiliar objects or to come under audience control.

I conducted 2 studies to investigate the relationship between vocal verbal behavior, specifically, articulation and the production of echoics, and the presence of bidirectional Naming (BiN). In Study 1, I performed a correlational analysis using data collected on (1) responses to bidirectional Naming probes, (2) standard score son an articulation assessment, and (3) scaled scores on a sentence repetition assessment which functioned to measure echoic behavior at the sentence level for 46 early elementary students. The number of correct responses to unfamiliar stimuli using unfamiliar spoken and visual stimuli were measured for bidirectional Naming probes. Student performance on the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation 3 served to measure the participants’ articulation of consonant and consonant cluster sounds in the English language. The Recalling Sentences subtest on the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals® – Fifth Edition was used to measure the accuracy of participants’ echoic behavior when repeating spoken sentences. Results using a Pearson’s correlation showed that there was no significant correlation between bidirectional Naming and participants’ articulation scores using the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation 3, r = .037, p = .808. However, there was a significant and overall positive correlation between bidirectional Naming and participant scores from the Recalling Sentences subtest, r = .589, p < .001. Following the results of the correlations from Study I, I tested the effects of 2 echoic training interventions on the acquisition of bidirectional Naming in 8 early elementary students that were grouped into matched pairs to form 4 dyads in Experiment I. In each dyad, 1 participant underwent a "verbal echoic” intervention consisting of echoing sentences comprised of grammatically coherent English that had verbal function. The matched participant in the same dyad went through an “acoustic echoic” intervention that used the same words contained in the sentence echoed by the participant in the verbal echoic intervention but scrambled so that the sentence were syntactically and semantically incoherent and thus, lacked verbal function. Results showed that 5 out of the 8 participants have acquired bidirectional Naming following either echoic condition. More specifically, 4 participants acquired bidirectional Naming after the verbal echoic condition. One other participant acquired bidirectional Naming following the acoustic echoic condition. The implications of the differences in the effectiveness of the two intervention conditions are discussed with regard to the significance of acquiring bidirectional Naming.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 114 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-66).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1983.

Abstract Verbal behavior encompasses a wide range of aspects in our everyday lives and in the activities of a society. Many verbal behavior interventions often include programs to teach answering questions, these responses are referred to as intraverbals. Previous research has demonstrated a higher rate of acquisition of verbal targets such as mands and tacts for children with a limited verbal repertoire when a presentation of both sign and vocal prompts occur simultaneously (Total Communication), in comparison to sign-alone or vocal-alone trainings. However, an important variable not often examined in the literature is the comparison of Total Communication (TC) and Prompt Delay (PD) to further evaluate which leads to higher rates of acquisition. The current study extends previous research by evaluating the relative effectiveness of TC and PD in teaching intraverbal skills to three children who have been diagnosed with autism. During the TC condition the participants were required to emit a vocal and sign response simultaneously during training. During the PD condition, participants were required to emit only a vocal response during training. The results suggest that there was no clinically relevant difference between the two conditions in the acquisition of intraverbals for these participants.

Teaching using matrix programming has been shown to result in recombinative generalization. However, this procedure has not been compared to more standard discrete trial training formats such as DTT. This study compared acquisition and recombinative generalization of two-component tacts using each procedure. Matrix training was found to be more efficient than the DTT format. Half the amount of teaching was required to teach roughly the same number of targets using matrix training as compared to DTT.