One language intervention approach for individuals with autism involves teaching one response topography under multiple sources of control and then establishing that response under individual controlling variable. Another approach involves establishing one response topography under singular control and then using that response to establish the response topography under different controlling variables. The study sought to extend previous research by investigating the impact of each approach on the acquisition of verbal responses. Three of the eight participants acquired all target responses for at least one response topography. The results of previous research were not replicated directly and the findings were discussed in terms of preexperimental verbal repertoires and restricted interests.

The problem is to determine the feasibility of using student teacher observer teams trained in interaction analysis to develop the capacity of student teachers to change their classroom verbal behavior.

The central problem of this study was to determine the effects of feedback of observations recorded by an elementary college supervisor for the verbal and nonverbal classroom behavior of elementary student teachers.

The conditional control of equivalence has received much attention in the analysis of verbal behavior. While previous research identified conditional control of relational responding and conditional control of equivalence class formation, this study investigated the possibility of conditional control of members of an equivalence class. Following baseline conditional discrimination training and equivalence testing, subjects were taught to select a particular member in the presence of a Green background screen and another member in the presence of a Red background screen.

Intervals of specified fluent verbal behavior of two stutterers received response-contingent positive stimulation in the form of an accumulating points system, Assessment was made o the effect of experimental manipulation on the frequency of fluent speech intervals as well as on the frequency of subject-identified stuttering behaviors observed during the experimental session. The results indicated significant change in fluent interval frequency in the spontaneous speech of one subject. Effect of the experimental contingency was not demonstrated in the oral reading of a second subject. Stuttering. behavior data indicated that an indirect effect of the positive stimulation can change the frequency of behavior not being contingently stimulated.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a workshop designed to train adults to use supportive verbal behavior during distressful situations. Participants were trained to provide descriptive, empathetic and hopeful statements using instructions, rationales, modeling, role-play, feedback, and rehearsal. A pre-post design was used to analyze the effects of the training on verbal and non-verbal behaviors of four females during simulation scenarios. Results indicate all four participants provided maximum support statements above pre-training levels during post-training simulation and written assessments.

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.