Pavlov’s procedure for demonstrating conditioned Inhibition was applied to the case of a discriminated operant to see whether a parallel exists in the operant case. A stimulus (tone) that had become a signal for not responding when paired with one excitatory stimulus (key-color used in conjunction with a go/no-go auditory discrimination) also served as a signal for not responding when it was combined with another excitatory stimulus (key-color used for transfer test) that was clearly discriminated from the one employed in the original training. Skinner’s injections to Pavlov’s demonstration of conditioned inhibition were shown not to apply to the present experiment. A second experiment showed that training of a kind that led to a conditioned inhibitory function for a stimulus paired with nonreinforcement can also lead to a conditioned excitatory function for a stimulus paired with reinforcement. Appropriate controls made it evident that these results were not due to unconditioned effects of tone. When training and testing procedures which parallel those used in classical conditioning are applied to the discriminated operant, the functions of stimuli in the two types of conditioning prove to be more similar than was previously thought. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are characterized by social-communicative deficits that impair important areas of functioning. Behavior analytic interventions frequently focus on providing support and enhancing social-communicative behavior in individuals with ASD. As part of these interventions, conditioning procedures are often implemented to establish social stimuli as reinforcers and promote skill acquisition. The current study systematically replicated and extended the work of Lapin and evaluated the effects of an operant discrimination training (ODT) procedure on behavioral correlates theorized to be indicative of a high-quality relationship and therapeutic rapport between client and therapist. Two child-therapist dyads that consisted of children diagnosed with ASD and registered behavior technicians (RBTs) participated. Results indicated that the ODT procedure yielded positive changes in smiling across both dyads, with idiosyncratic changes in physical contact, approach, pointing, and showing. These findings suggest that ODT procedures may be an effective method for enhancing therapeutic rapport and promoting early social behaviors in children with ASD.