Generalization with Precision: The Role of Negative Teaching Examples in the Instruction of Generalized Grocery Item Selection

For generalization to be functional, it must occur with a precision that results in acquired responses occurring under appropriate, nontrained conditions, and acquired responses not occurring under inappropriate, nontrained conditions. This study examines the effect of differing types of negative teaching examples on the precision with which generalized grocery item selection is learned. Within a split-multiple baseline design, six young adults identified as mildly, moderately, or severely mentally retarded were trained to select or to reject grocery items using picture cards as cues. The dependent variables were correct selection of 10 trained “positive” grocery items and the correct rejection of 20 nontrained “negative” grocery items in a nontrained grocery store. Participants were trained in a grocery store to select 10 positive grocery examples matching their picture cards and to reject either (a) a set of negative examples that were maximally different from the positive examples, or (b) a set of negative examples that were minimally different from the positive examples. Both training sets resulted in participants correctly selecting the 10 positive items in a nontrained store. Training with the “minimally different” negative examples was functionally related to improved rejection of nontrained negative items in the nontrained store. The implications of teaching with minimally different, negative examples are discussed.

Download Full-text

Increases in the Communicative Behaviours of Students with Cerebral Palsy as a Result of Feedback to, and the Selection of Goals by, Paraprofessionals

Behaviour Change ◽

10.1017/s0813483900003478 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 174-184 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Laura J. Hall ◽

Michelle L. Macvean

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Performance Feedback ◽

Multiple Baseline ◽

Written Feedback ◽

Multiple Baseline Design ◽

Educational Settings ◽

Baseline Design ◽

Active Involvement ◽

Specific Performance ◽

Selection Of

The employment of untrained paraprofessionals to support children with disabilities in educational settings is not uncommon. Although urgently needed, research on effective methods of increasing the skills of these paraprofessionals is scarce. This study, which was conducted over 3 academic years, assessed the effectiveness of incorporating naturalistic prompting strategies by paraprofessionals for increasing target communicative behaviours of students with severe spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. A concurrent multiple-baseline design replicated across 3 paraprofessionals was used to determine the effectiveness of verbal and written feedback regarding their attainment of self-selected goals for prompting target communicative behaviours. The results indicate that, after the introduction of the intervention, the prompting behaviours of all paraprofessionals increased, as did the target behaviours of all students. Increases maintained 5 months after intervention for all students observed and for 2 of the 3 paraprofessionals observed. The implications of designing a program to include specific performance feedback and active involvement by staff are discussed.

Download Full-text

Assessment and Treatment of Adult Observer Verbalizations at Youth League Baseball Games

Journal of Sport Psychology ◽

10.1123/jsp.4.3.254 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 254-266 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Page B. Walley ◽

George M. Graham ◽

Rex Forehand

Keyword(s):

Low Frequency ◽

Intervention Strategies ◽

Multiple Baseline ◽

Baseline Design ◽

Instructional Treatment ◽

Assessment And Treatment ◽

Frequency Occurrence ◽

Negative Target

In response to a local youth sport organization's request, this study was designed to assess and, if necessary, modify the verbalizations made by adult observers of youth league (i.e., T-ball) baseball games toward the athletes, officials, and other observers. In a multiple baseline design across the observers of three teams, verbalizations were rated for content (i.e., positive, neutral, negative), target (i.e., child's team, umpire, opposing team, fan), and precipitating event (e.g., homerun, fly out) over a six-game season. Baseline results revealed that 3.42% of the observed intervals were composed of positive verbalizations, 7.50% of neutral, .28% of negative, and 88.80% of no statement. Following baseline, a self-instructional treatment utilizing a series of leaflets distributed across games was implemented to increase positive verbalizations. Treatment did not increase positive verbalizations; however, a follow-up questionnaire indicated that adult observers believed the leaflets had resulted in their increasing their frequency of positive verbalizations. Results are discussed in terms of the role of adult expectations of performance, attention given to low frequency occurrence of negative verbalizations, and future intervention strategies.

Download Full-text

Predictable Generalization in Academic Learning as a Result of Preskills and Strategy Training

Learning Disability Quarterly ◽

10.2307/1511005 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 203-216 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

John Lloyd ◽

Nancy J. Saltzman ◽

James M. Kauffman

Keyword(s):

Strategy Training ◽

Multiple Baseline ◽

Academic Learning ◽

Baseline Design ◽

Fine Grained ◽

Rapid Acquisition ◽

Multiplication Facts ◽

Dependent Variables ◽

Division Problems ◽

Instructional Session

The effects of Preskills and Strategy Training were assessed on acquisition of basic multiplication and division skills. In Experiment 1, four boys were first taught preskills for a set of multiplication facts. Preskills alone did not enable children to perform multiplication tasks correctly. When subjects were taught a strategy for using the preskills, they were able to solve problems for which they received the Strategy Training; correct performance generalized to problems for which the preskills but not the strategy had been taught. A multiple-baseline (across subjects) design showed that these effects were reliable. Following Strategy Training each child was given partial Preskill Training for those multiplication facts for which neither Preskills nor Strategy Training had been provided. The children used the preskills to solve the problems correctly. Experiment 2 replicated and extended the findings of Experiment 1 to division and provided a more fine-grained analysis of Strategy Training effects. A novel multiple-baseline design (across subjects) was used in which Strategy Training was introduced successively to three children within a single instructional session lasting 110 minutes, with probes (multiplication and division facts) administered about every nine minutes providing the dependent variables. None of the children completed the division problems correctly during baseline probes. However, they all acquired division skills when taught a strategy. The results of both experiments demonstrate the importance of Preskills Training and the effectiveness of Strategy Training. The results of Experiment 1 showed that generalization across tasks can be predicted when preskills and a strategy are provided; the results of Experiment 2 showed that rapid acquisition of related learning can be obtained by teaching a related strategy.

Download Full-text

Effects of Phonological Decoding Training on Children's Word Recognition of CVC, CV, and VC Structures

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/1058-0360.0501.67 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 67-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kenyatta O. Rivers ◽

Linda J. Lombardino ◽

Cynthia K. Thompson

Keyword(s):

Word Recognition ◽

Multiple Baseline ◽

Single Subject ◽

Group Training ◽

Complex Structures ◽

Multiple Baseline Design ◽

Baseline Design ◽

Phonological Decoding ◽

The Third ◽

Letter Sound

The effects of training in letter-sound correspondences and phonemic decoding (segmenting and blending skills) on three kindergartners' word recognition abilities were examined using a single-subject multiple-baseline design across behaviors and subjects. Whereas CVC pseudowords were trained, generalization to untrained CVC pseudowords, untrained CVC real words, untrained CV and VC pseudowords, and untrained CV and VC real words were assessed. Generalization occurred to all of the untrained constructions for two of the three subjects. The third subject did not show the same degree of generalization to VC pseudowords and real words; however, after three training sessions, this subject read all VC constructions with 100% accuracy. Findings are consistent with group training studies that have shown the benefits of decoding training on word recognition and spelling skills and with studies that have demonstrated the effects of generalization to less complex structures when more complex structures are trained.

Download Full-text

Identifying Measurement Invariant Item Sets in Cross-Cultural Settings Using an Automated Item Selection Procedure

Methodology ◽

10.1027/1614-2241/a000155 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 177-188 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Martin Schultze ◽

Michael Eid

Keyword(s):

Measurement Invariance ◽

Optimal Solution ◽

Selection Procedure ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Item Selection ◽

Ant System ◽

Item Quality ◽

Ant System Algorithm ◽

Selection For ◽

Selection Of

Abstract. In the construction of scales intended for the use in cross-cultural studies, the selection of items needs to be guided not only by traditional criteria of item quality, but has to take information about the measurement invariance of the scale into account. We present an approach to automated item selection which depicts the process as a combinatorial optimization problem and aims at finding a scale which fulfils predefined target criteria – such as measurement invariance across cultures. The search for an optimal solution is performed using an adaptation of the [Formula: see text] Ant System algorithm. The approach is illustrated using an application to item selection for a personality scale assuming measurement invariance across multiple countries.

Download Full-text