Language development involves the learning of multiple sets of equivalence relations. Research has shown that if certain conditional relations are directly taught for one member of a class of stimuli, then additional conditional relations often emerge for other members of that class, without direct training. There are currently very few studies which have demonstrated this research finding in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The research design used for the present experiment was a single-subject AB cross-over design replicated across five plus five children with ASD and five plus five typically developing children. The children with ASD and the typically developing children were matched on their level of vocabulary development. Participants were randomly assigned to either a teaching order Treatment A+B or a teaching order Treatment B+A. The first experimental treatment (Treatment A+B) involved teaching responses to S1 and S2 in the order Condition A followed by Condition B. The second experimental treatment (Treatment B+A) involved teaching responses to S1 and S2 in the order Condition B followed by Condition A. Condition A involved the teaching of AB and AC (hear-select) relations, and Condition B involved the teaching of BA and CA (see-say) relations. The participants in this study were taught stimulus-response relations that involved six names and numerical representations of quantities in the range 1 to 18. Tests for the emergence of symmetry and transitivity were then conducted. The relationships between the emergence of the untaught equivalence relations and teaching condition, the entering characteristics of the children, and trials to criterion were examined. The results of this study showed that five out of ten participants with ASD demonstrated the emergence of all of the untaught equivalence relations regardless of the treatment condition. The remaining five participants with ASD showed substantial variability. Of the children in the Typically Developing Group nine of the ten demonstrated emergence of all of the untaught equivalence relations. The variables that were most strongly correlated with the emergence of untaught equivalence relations were speed of acquisition of taught relations, functional academics scores, and the chronological age of the participants. The effect of communication ability, pre-academic numeracy skill level, and the experimental treatment (the teaching order conditions) were not strongly related to the emergence of untaught equivalence relations. These findings suggest that outcomes on tests for emergence may have been a function of children’s rate of development and prior learning history. The findings of the current study are best explained by Relational Frame Theory. The implications of these findings for teaching children with ASD and other developmental disabilities, and also teaching in general are discussed.

The current research study examined the formation of derived stimulus relations consisting of course content material in an undergraduate rehabilitation class. Specifically, the study examined the degree to which the stimulus equivalence instructional paradigm could be effectively used to teach the relationships between the names, definitions, causes, and common treatments for disabilities using a paper-and-pencil training format. Twenty-two participants were pre and post-tested on definition-to-name, cause-to-name, and treatment-to-name relations by the experimenter in a flashcard-style fashion. Training was conducted using an instructional package consisting of multiple-choice questionnaires in which name-to-definition, name-to-cause, and cause-to-treatment relations were taught and feedback was delivered from the experimenter until mastery. Results suggest that the stimulus equivalence paradigm can be effectively trained in a paper-and-pencil training format with great ease.

The present study utilized Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 to investigate the role of comparing high and low preferred education-based stimulus equivalence protocols for adults with developmental disabilities outside the educational system. First, participants were exposed to all educational categories and completed a paired choice preference assessment to identify high and low preferred protocols. Next, participants completed high and low preferred protocols following an alternating treatments design, with an initial pretest, training, posttest, and a test for an emergent topography (typing skills). Results showed evidence of higher preference through duration and errors per min measures for two of three participants, with results unclear for a third participant. Furthermore, one participant displayed all equivalence classes expected of the training protocol, while another demonstrated all emergent relations for the high preferred protocol but only one of six for the low preferred protocol, and the last participant exceeded criterion for four of six posttests for the high preferred protocol, and two of six for the low preferred protocol. The results are discussed in terms of measures for preferences, habilitation, modifications to training protocols, the study's limitations, and directions for future research.

Due to changing age demographics in the United States, by 2050, an estimated 62.1 Americans will be over the age of 65 and the number of Americans with cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease, will increase drastically as well (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014; Ortman, Velkoff, & Hogan, 2014). Once a diagnosis or behavioral indicators of cognitive impairment are present, it would be beneficial to apply a treatment package that promotes the maintenance or re-establishment of stimulus control in the environment. From a behavioral perspective, stimulus control aids in learning and memory through both respondent and operant conditioning. In the current study, stimulus equivalence training was completed and compared to cognitive and functional assessments scores with older adult participants with and without cognitive impairment as a systematic replication of Gallagher and Keenan (2009). Formation of equivalence relations after exposure to linear series (LS) training with 2 3-member stimulus classes across arbitrary, familiar, and stimuli from Gallagher and Keenan (2009) was compared via trials to criterion, accuracy per relation, and session length to scores on the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE), Saint Louis University State Exam (SLUMS), and Barthel ADL Index. Several methodological changes were applied to a second study to examine the impact of increased programmed stimuli, training changes, and the use of one-to-many (OTM) and many-to-one (MTO) training structures with 3 3-member stimulus classes on equivalence formation. Composite performance scores were created for accuracy during LS, OTM, and MTO training. Non-parametric analyses were conducted between assessment and composite scores. The SLUMS and Barthel ADL Index were not correlated with any composite scores. However, MMSE scores and LS composite scores were correlated. The SLUMS was more sensitive to the detection of cognitive impairment as judged by classification and diagnoses. OTM and MTO composite scores also had a strong, positive correlation. Overall, more participants demonstrated higher levels of accurate responding during LS training than during OTM and MTO training. In contrast to previous research, only 25% of the sample demonstrated equivalence formation. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

There currently exists limited published literature on methods for teaching complex verbal operants to individuals with autism. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the PEAK – E curriculum in teaching receptive metonymical tacts using stimulus equivalence training procedures to children with autism. The procedures described in the PEAK – E program 10P – Equivalence: Metonymical Tacts were replicated across three children diagnosed with autism using a multiple baseline experimental design. The results of the suggest that the procedures were effective in teaching receptive metonymical tacts, with all three participants achieving mastery criteria. The results support and extend on previous studies by providing an empirical demonstration of effective procedures to teach receptive metonymical tacts to children with autism. The current study adds to progress behavior analysis in the direction of a behavior analytic understanding of complex verbal behavior.

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of stimulus equivalence procedures using the instructional protocols from the PEAK-E curriculum to develop the emergence of cause and effect relational responding in two children with autism. The procedures were taken from the PEAK-E program Transitivity: Multiple Actions & Outcomes-9p to aid in clinical replication. This study utilized a multiple baseline design across participants to evaluate the functional relationship between cause and effect relations. The results suggested that direct training of an action (A) to an outcome (B) (A-B) and direct training of an outcome (B) with an action that is produced by the outcome (C) (B-C) was effective for both participants. Following A-B and B-C training, the participants demonstrated emergent relations and untrained action (A) to action (C) relations which are consistent with transitivity. The results demonstrate efficacy of stimulus equivalence procedures for training cause and effect skills as well as the PEAK-E curriculum

The present study investigates the language phenomenon of stimulus equivalence in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Stimulus equivalence is comprised of 3 main concepts: reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity. Specifically, the researcher evaluated the ability to teach, test, and transfer sequential reflexivity across two participants. Two 4-year-old children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder participated in the study. Methods were derived from the program: Reflexivity: Pictures – 2A, along with a yes/no response modification to suite both of the participant’s current level of developmental skills. The results suggest that the PEAK-E curriculum was effective in training and testing both children to establish reflexivity across stimulus set one. In addition, both participants demonstrated a transfer of stimulus function to an untrained stimulus set two once the trained stimulus set one was mastered.

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.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar variáveis relevantes no ensino de leitura via o paradigma de equivalência, sobretudo na emergência do controle por unidades menores e leitura recombinativa. Por meio do software EQUIV foram ensinadas relações entre a palavra ditada e impressa (AC) e entre a palavra ditada e a respectiva figura (AB); em seguida eram testadas (1) as relações de equivalência entre figura-palavra impressa (BC) e palavra impressa-figura (CB), e (2) a leitura de novas palavras, formadas pela recombinação das unidades menores presentes nas palavras ensinadas previamente. A variável manipulada na presente pesquisa foi a solicitação para emissão de um comportamento textual nos treinos com tentativas AC. Oito crianças (quatro no grupo controle) participaram do programa, com 21 fases experimentais divididas em quatro tipos básicos: Pré-Teste , Pré-Treino, Treinos e Testes (04 palavras eram ensinadas, 08 ensinadas e testadas e 04 apenas testadas). Depois de aprenderem três conjuntos formados por quatro palavras (compostas por letras e sílabas sistematicamente recombinadas), os participantes mostraram aquisição de leitura com compreensão de palavras e sílabas, recombinação de unidades menores e leitura recombinativa em performances próximas de 100% de acertos. Os Pré e Pós-testes também mostraram que todos os participantes foram capazes de desenvolver o repertório de nomear palavras e sílabas as quais não eram capazes de nomear anteriormente. Entretanto, a comparação entre dois grupos (controle e experimental) sugeriu que a emissão de comportamento textual durante a tarefa não foi uma variável crítica sobre a emergência do controle por unidades menores e leitura recombinativa, já que os resultados foram estatisticamente semelhantes. Conclui-se que, conforme apontam os estudos prévios de Hübner e Hübner e Matos, o número de conjuntos de palavras treinado (o que envolve o treino de múltiplos exemplares) e a forma como as unidades menores que a palavra são recombinadas sistematicamente ao longo do procedimento são as variáveis mais importantes envolvidas na leitura recombinativa e no controle por unidades menores. / The objective of the present study was to verify relevant variables in the teaching of reading through equivalence paradigm, mainly in the emergence of the control by minimal units emergence and recombinative reading. Using the EQUIV software, relations between oral-printed word (AC) and between the oral word-picture were taught (AB). After that, were tested: (1) relations between picture-printed word (BC) and between printed word-picture (CB); and (2) the reading of novel words, which are composed by the minimal units of the words taught previously. The variable manipulated on the present research was a textual behavior request in the AC training trials. Eight children (four on control group) participated in the program, which consists of 21 experimental phases divided in four basic types: pre-test, pre-training, training and tests (04 words were taught, 08 words were taught and tested and 04 words were only tested). After learning three sets of 04 words (composed by letters and syllables systematic recombined), participants showed acquisition of reading comprehension with word and syllable, recombination of minimal units and recombinative reading in closer to 100% correct performances. Pretests and posttests showed that all participants developed the repertoire of oral naming words and syllables that they weren\'t able to name before. Nevertheless, comparison between the two groups suggested that textual behavior request wasn\'t a critical variable over the emergence of control by minimal units and recombinative reading, since both results are statistically similar. It seems to be, according to Hübner and Matos and Hübner previous studies, that the number of word sets trained (which involves multiple exemplars training) and the systematic recombination of minimal units used during procedure are the most important variables involved in recombinative reading and minimal units control.

This study compared results of two experiments that tested transfer of function in stimulus equivalence classes in a task dissimilar to (in Experiment I) and similar to (in Experiment II) the task that trained functional responding. Eleven students from UNT participated in return for monetary compensation. Phase 1 and 2 were identical in the two experiments, in which they established stimulus equivalence classes and functional responding, respectively. Each experiment then used different tasks in the third phase to test differential responding. Only participants in Experiment II demonstrated consistent transfer of function. Results are discussed in terms of how task similarity may function as a type of contextual control when there is limited experience with the task.