Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1983. / Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1968. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Children with developmental disabilities often have complex communication needs that require professional intervention. For children with limited or no functional speech, the first step in treatment programming is choosing an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) modality that best represents the needs of the child. The availability and diversity of AAC systems are only increasing (Loncke, 2014). Parents and practitioners are faced with a difficult decision and existing literature has yet to come to a consensus on the potential benefits or disadvantages of incorporating specific AAC strategies. The field of applied behavior analysis has empirically demonstrated the utility of AAC modalities as viable manding topographies to reduce problem behavior (Harding et al., 2009; Ringdahl et al., 2009). Despite reliable reductions in problem behavior, there is paucity in research directly comparing mand modalities and the subsequent effects on communication repertoires. Existing studies contain methodological features that make it difficult to draw firm conclusions (Chambers & Rehfeldt, 2003; Gregory, DeLeon, & Richman, 2009; Tincani, 2004). Therefore, the purpose of the current investigation is to expand on existing literature evaluating aided and unaided AAC modalities and contribute to literature on mand training as it relates to topography-based versus selection-based system outcomes. This study compares three popular mand modalities frequently utilized in interventions implemented by speech-language pathologists and behavior analysts: (1) speech only (2) picture card + speech (3) sign + speech. Conditions were compared in an alternating treatments design for two participants to determine differential modality acquisition, problem behavior reduction, communicative gesturing, and speech emergence. Methodological considerations were given to control for the influence of transfer of stimulus control procedures by adopting a graduated time delay prompt fading procedure and, to the greatest degree possible, minimize the influence of response effort variability by employing the lowest response effort possible across all conditions. Results support the “multimodal” conceptual framework and the practice of “total communication” and provide evidence against the opposing “incompatibility hypothesis.” Keywords: augmentative alternative communication (AAC), mand, verbal behavior, multimodal, total communication, incompatibility hypothesis, aided, unaided, topography-based, selection-based

The purpose of this paper was to identify video feedback and self monitoring as a positive teaching strategy for improving the public speaking behavior in a classroom setting. An ABA withdrawal design was utilized with four adolescent, male teenage boys (ages 12-18). During the intervention, participants reviewed videotaped probes of their public speaking behavior and completed the self monitoring form. The results of the current study provided mixed results in that while some participants improved in one or more aspects of their behavior, only two of the four participants improved all aspects of their behavior. However, when taken into consideration with the anecdotal evidence provided there is some support for the use of video feedback with self monitoring to improve public speaking performance.

The use of a concurrently running differential reinforcement of alternative behavior intervention was used to manipulate manding behavior in a small sample of young adults with autism. Three young adults with autism aged 17-21, two males and one female, who had severely limited verbal language and communication devices participated in this study. Differential reinforcement was used to alter the mand topography chosen by each participant during manding sessions. Results indicate that by altering the quantity of highly preferred items individuals with autism can demonstrate flexibility in the topography of their language and respond with the mode of communication that is programmed for more reinforcement without the use of punishment or extinction. This research expands on the functional communication training (FCT) literature and the use of differential reinforcement in the use of mand training and also replicates previous research suggesting that punishment and extinction may not be necessary to reduce less preferred behavior.

The increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder has produced a longstanding relevance for continued progressive measures towards a systematic approach to the treatment of deficient language repertoires. Current behavior analytic assessments, such as the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised (ABLLS-R), have demonstrated utility in providing relative measures of the functional characteristics of an individual’s language and learner repertoire, as consistent with a traditional Skinnerian approach. Further assessments have been created under other existing theoretical frameworks, such as the Test of Language Development (TOLD), and the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Relational Training System (PEAK). Each assessment was run with 17 children with Autism. A Spearman’s rank order correlation was then conducted to examine the relationships between the ABBLS-R, the TOLD-I:4, and PEAK-E-PA. Therefore, the purpose of the present investigation was to examine any existing relationships between these assessments in order to evaluate their treatment utility, produced measures, and overall implications towards an understanding of language development in children with Autism.

This study sought to evaluate the efficiency of the methods outlined in the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Relational Training System Equivalence Module (PEAK-E) utilizing a single-subject design. Three participants from a Midwest town were recruited to participate in the study and were assessed and validity, reliability, and efficacy were evaluated to determine the assessments ability to identify three language skills that weren’t currently present in their repertoire. Baseline levels determined that the 3 skills for each participant (a total of 9 skills across the 3 participants) were not currently present in their repertoire prior to implementation of PEAK-E programs, as the participants demonstrated low levels of correct responding. Upon completion of program implementation across all three participants with autism, mastery criteria was obtained for all directly trained skills, and relations were derived for 9 out of 9 programs.

D.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Communication is an important and essential part of human life. In this study the necessity and impact of Invitational Communication in classrooms is researched. Communication in classrooms permeates the entire educational process. Academic excellence, conceptual and perceptual development of pupils as well as positive interpersonal relationships are all areas which are directly affected by the quality of the interpersonal communication between teachers and their pupils. Effective teaching therefore, must take cognizance of the importance of interpersonal communication in classrooms. Invitational communication which is based on Invitational Education concepts (the perceptual tradition and self-concept theory), is instrumental in developing unrealized potential of all participants in the teaching process. What teachers believe about their pupils will influence their behaviour towards pupils, especially their communicative behaviour. It is through this communicative behaviour that teachers have the ability to develop human potential or to destroy it. Invitational Communication provides teachers with an acceptable educational stance for interrelating with others in the classroom context. This stance is based on Intentionality, Respect, Trust and Optimism.

Com o número crescente de pesquisas sobre a formação de discriminações condicionais e de equivalência de estímulos, outras explicações, além daquelas relacionadas ao reforçamento diferencial, surgiram. Tais estudos passaram a sugerir que o comportamento verbal poderia facilitar a formação do responder discriminativo e da equivalência de estímulos. Porém, poucas tem sido as pesquisas que se concentraram em investigar, especificamente, o efeito do comportamento verbal autoclítico relacional/qualificador neste responder. O objetivo da presente pesquisa foi analisar se uma instrução que orientou os participantes a emitir uma resposta verbal vocal com autoclítico relacional/qualificador é e uma instrução que orientou os participantes a emitirem uma resposta verbal concorrente (entre a apresentação do estímulo modelo e a resposta de escolha do estímulo comparação, em uma tarefa de matching to sample) produzem efeitos na formação de classes de equivalência e se influencia na quantidade de tentativas necessárias para a formação do responder discriminativo condicional. Foram estudados vinte e cinco participantes adultos, divididos em três grupos: Grupo Controle 1, Grupo Controle 2 e Grupo Experimental. Todos os participantes foram submetidos a três treinos de discriminações condicionais (AB, BC e CD) e a dois testes de equivalência (AD e DA). Cada conjunto continha três estímulos visuais abstratos e cada treino foi composto por doze tentativas. O critério de aprendizagem era a ocorrência de uma sequência de 100% de respostas corretas no treino. A instrução com o autoclítico relacional/qualificador foi apresentada apenas aos participantes do Grupo Experimental e a instrução contendo a resposta verbal concorrente foi apresentada apenas aos participantes do Grupo Controle 2. Os resultados obtidos nos treinos de discriminações condicionais mostram um desempenho semelhante entre os participantes do Grupo Controle 1 e 2 e um desempenho inicial otimizado dos participantes do Grupo Experimental. Nos testes de equivalência de estímulos foi observado um índice superior de resultados positivos para os participantes do Grupo Experimental, em relação aos participantes dos Grupos Controle 1 e 2. A verbalização do autoclítico relacional/qualificador auxiliou os participantes do Grupo Experimental a estabelecerem o controle de estímulos planejado, já que todos os participantes emitiram a resposta verbal vocal este é este, acompanhado da resposta de escolha correta, reforçada diferencialmente. A análise dos Grupos Controle 1 e 2 permitiu a discussão sobre o papel do comportamento verbal na aquisição de relações condicionais e na formação de classes de equivalência, já que no Grupo Controle 1 os participantes permaneceram em silêncio, em contraste com os participantes do Grupo Experimental / With the increasing number of researches on the formation of conditional discriminations and stimulus equivalence, other explanations, in addition to those related to differential reinforcement, have emerged. Such studies have suggested that verbal behavior could facilitate the formation of discriminative response and the equivalence of stimuli. However, few studies have focused on investigating, specifically, the effect of verbal behavior autoclitic relational/qualifying in responding. The purpose of the present research was to analyze whether an instruction that instructed the participants to issue a verbal vocal response with autoclitic relational/qualifying \"is\" and an instruction that instructed the participants to issue a concurrent verbal response (between the presentation of the model stimulus and the response of choice of the stimulus comparison, in a matching to sample task) produce effects on the formation of equivalence classes and influence the amount of attempts required for the formation of conditional discriminative response. Twenty-five adult participants were studied, divided in three groups: Control Group 1, Control Group 2 and Experimental Group. All participants underwent three conditional discriminations (AB, BC and CD) and two equivalence tests (AD and AD). Each set contained three abstract visual stimuli and each training consisted of twelve attempts. The learning criterion was the occurrence of a sequence of 100% correct answers in the training. The instruction with the autoclitic relational/qualifying was presented only to the participants of the Experimental Group and the statement containing the concurrent verbal response was presented only to the participants of the Control Group 2. The results obtained in the conditional discrimination training show a similar performance among the participants of the Control Group 1 and 2 and an optimized initial performance of the participants of the Experimental Group. In the equivalence tests of stimuli, a superior index of positive results was observed for the participants of the Experimental Group, in relation to the participants of the Control Groups 1 and 2. The verbalization of the autoclítico relational/qualifying helped the participants of the Experimental Group to establish the control of stimuli planned, since all the participants issued the vocal verbal response \"this is this\", accompanied by the correct choice answer, differentially reinforced. The analysis of Control Groups 1 and 2 allowed the discussion about the role of verbal behavior in the acquisition of conditional relations and in the formation of equivalence classes, since in Control Group 1 the participants remained silent, in contrast to the participants of the Experimental Group

In Skinner's (1957) analysis of verbal behavior, the tact and mand are suggested to be functionally independent verbal operants. Many studies evaluating the verbal operants have provided results consistent with Skinner's notion of functional independence. For example, previous studies have yielded results showing that responses taught as tacts failed to emerge as mands unless they were directly trained as such. However, in many of the studies evaluating the functional independence of the verbal operants it is unclear whether the mand conditions were designed to actually evaluate that response function. The current study replicated and extended the findings of Wallace, Iwata, and Hanley (2006), who empirically demonstrated conditions that facilitated the transfer from tact to mand relations. Students in the current study were taught to tact both high preference and low preference items and were subsequently assessed on their ability to mand for those items. Responses taught as tacts transferred to mand responses without direct training for the high preference items only. These results suggest that the conditions under which training of one operant facilitates the emergence of an untrained verbal operant may be related to motivating operations.