Stimulus overselectivity is said to occur when behavior is under the control of a restricted set of stimuli from a stimulus complex. Three studies investigated the effects of specific multiple-stimulus training histories upon the overselective responding of normal preschool children. In Experiment 1, eight children 3 to 5 years of age, were trained to discriminate forms presented on cards. Each form was labelled with a nonsense syllable, and each card (multiple stimulus) consisted of two forms. A time-delay training procedure was used. Four subjects were trained using Concurrent training in which two of the three S- response choices contained components of the S+. Four subjects were trained using Sequential training in which the choices did not contain S+ components, but S+s were trained in order such that one component of a previously- trained S+ was present in the next S+. Subjects trained using Concurrent training acquired the discriminations in fewer trials, and had fewer errors during training. However, they responded to single components at chance level, whereas subjects trained using Sequential training recognized components and were able to recombine them into novel combinations. Experiment 2 was designed to investigate the effects of interspersing component probes among review trials of previously learned S+s that contained those components. Responses of two subjects to components were probed with interspersed review trials. Subjects with a Sequential training history demonstrated higher levels of correct responding to recombinations of components, whereas subjects with a Concurrent history continued to respond at chance level. In Experiment 3, two subjects with a history of Concurrent training were trained using Sequential training. The subjects learned to respond to recombinations and components at criterion level. It was concluded that multiple-stimulus training, in which S+ components are presented sequentially, is an effective method for training subjects to respond to components as well as to the total multiple stimulus. Findings are discussed in relation to: (a) attention theory and implications for related areas, such as stimulus salience and functionality; (b) a reassessment of the definition of overselectivity; and (c) implications for research with other populations.

The present series of experiments were designed to investigate the utility of the use of a masking system to assess the development of stimulus control. The first experiment compares sample observing time with response accuracy in a match-to-sample task. The second experiment more closely examines this relation by subdividing the sample stimulus mask into four quadrants. The third experiment compares sample observing time during training with accuracy during a subsequent testing condition to determine if the observed differentiation between the quadrants was correlated with the development of stimulus control.

Submitted by Alison Vanceto (alison-vanceto@hotmail.com) on 2016-09-16T12:19:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseLTG.pdf: 3395096 bytes, checksum: ec55e469b1ce3fcf3349777de2ff1b9e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-16T19:32:12Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseLTG.pdf: 3395096 bytes, checksum: ec55e469b1ce3fcf3349777de2ff1b9e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-16T19:32:21Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseLTG.pdf: 3395096 bytes, checksum: ec55e469b1ce3fcf3349777de2ff1b9e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-16T19:32:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseLTG.pdf: 3395096 bytes, checksum: ec55e469b1ce3fcf3349777de2ff1b9e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-01-27 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / conventional verbal behavior may present significant delays on this task. The studies reported in this dissertation investigated discriminative repertoires learning by such individuals aiming at describing these processes, identifying difficulties and contributing to the development of technologies of teaching. Chapter 1 experiment assessed learning by exclusion of conditional discriminations between signs of LIBRAS (Brazilian Sign Language) and pictures and probed for the emergence of speaker repertoires. All participants learned new discriminations by exclusion. Signaling emerged for some but not all participants after learning listener behavior by exclusion. An idiosyncratic verbal repertoire acquired outside from the experimental setting seems to have affected the performance of some participants. In Chapter 2, two experiments evaluated the formation of equivalence classes between signs (set A), pictures (set B) and printed Words (set C) in the same participants. In both experiments, all participants learned the AB baseline relations, responded consistently on symmetry probes (BA) and showed tact responses (BD). In the first experiment of Chapter 2, two out of three participants learned CB baseline discriminations and showed the formation of stimulus equivalence classes. One participant also correctly emitted signs in the presence of printed words (CD). In the second experiment, all three participants learned AB and CB baseline relations, taught with a multiple baseline design across three sets of three words, and showed the formation of nine equivalence classes and the emergency of signaling responses in the presence of printed words. Consistent with previous studies, a rudimentary reading repertoire was taught to five participants via stimulus equivalence. In addition, textual behavior has also emerged for four participants. Chapter 3 experiment aimed to evaluate the occurrence of restricted stimulus control topographies in conditional discriminations learning between printed words and pictures and to develop a procedure to establish adequate stimulus control. Six deaf children were taught three sets of three CB discriminations and were tested for restricted stimulus control. A constructed response matching-to-sample, adapted as a differential observing response (CR-DOR), was used as a remediation procedure for participants who showed overselectivity. CR-DOR was used alone or combined with an identity matching-tosample task between printed words in which S- comparisons showed critical differences in relation to S+. Restrict stimuli control occurred with five out of six participants after they learned CB relations. The CR-DOR procedure, when used alone, was effective in remediating overselectivity with most part of stimulus sets. Although, only the combination of both types of remediation procedures was effective for four children with the first stimulus set. Results showed the importance of evaluating stimulus control topographies while teaching reading repertoires to deaf individuals and suggest that teaching procedures should include such a procedure since the beginning. Taken together, the three studies provided evidence about possible difficulties or potentials these participants may face while acquiring some sorts of relational repertoires and indicated directions for planning effective teaching procedures. / aquisição de repertórios verbais convencionados podem apresentar atrasos significativos nessa tarefa. Os estudos reportados neste trabalho investigaram em indivíduos com estas características a aprendizagem de repertórios discriminativos relevantes para a aquisição do comportamento verbal complexo, visando descrever os processos, identificar dificuldades e desenvolver tecnologias de ensino. O experimento apresentado no Capítulo 1 objetivou promover a aprendizagem por exclusão de discriminações condicionais entre sinais da LIBRAS e figuras, e sondar a emergência de repertórios de falantes. Os resultados evidenciaram a ocorrência de aprendizagem de novas discriminações por exclusão e a emergência parcial da sinalização diante das figuras. Entretanto, estes desempenhos parecem ter sido afetados por um repertório verbal não convencional, adquirido pré-experimentalmente. No Capítulo 2, dois experimentos tiveram como objetivo avaliar, nos mesmos participantes, a aprendizagem de novas discriminações condicionais e a formação de classes de equivalência entre conjuntos de sinais (A), figuras (B) e palavras impressas (C). Em ambos os experimentos, todos os participantes aprenderam as relações AB de linha de base, e apresentaram simetria BA, além das respostas de tato (BD). No primeiro experimento do Capítulo 2, dois de três participantes aprenderam as discriminações CB de linha de base e apresentaram formação de classes, e um apresentou emergência de sinais diante das palavras impressas (CD). No segundo experimento, todos os três participantes aprenderem três grupos de três conjuntos de relações AB e CB, e apresentaram a formação de nove classes de equivalência e emergência dos sinais diante das palavras impressas. Em consonância com estudos anteriores, foi possível ensinar leitura com compreensão para estes participantes a partir do paradigma de equivalência de estímulos, além de promover a emergência das respostas textuais. O experimento descrito no Capítulo 3 objetivou avaliar a ocorrência de topografias de controle de estímulos restritas após o ensino de discriminações CB e desenvolver um procedimento para correção destas topografias. Foram ensinados três conjuntos de três discriminações CB para seis crianças surdas. Para os participantes que apresentaram controle restrito, foi empregado um procedimento de requisição de resposta de observação diferencial por construção do modelo (CR-DOR), sozinho ou combinado com um procedimento de ensino de emparelhamento de identidade entre palavras com diferenças críticas. Cinco dos seis participantes apresentaram controle restrito. O procedimento de CR-DOR sozinho foi efetivo com a maior parte dos conjuntos de estímulos. Porém, com quatro crianças, a redução de controle restrito com o primeiro conjunto de estímulos ocorreu depois do uso combinado dos dois procedimentos. Os resultados apontam a importância de se considerar a ocorrência de controle restrito ao ensinar discriminações entre palavras impressas, e de se planejar procedimentos para sua avaliação e correção durante a fase de ensino. Os três estudos evidenciaram dificuldades e potencialidades dos participantes na aquisição de repertórios verbais relacionais, e indicaram direções para o planejamento de procedimentos de ensino mais eficazes.