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| Towards a Technology of Generalization: Current Research Practices and Morningside's Six Ingredients for Effective Design |
| Sunday, May 25, 2025 |
| 12:00 PM–12:50 PM |
| Convention Center, Street Level, 147 A |
| Area: EDC/AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Kayla Randall (Georgia Southern University) |
| CE Instructor: Kayla Randall, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: The field of behavior analysis has long recognized the importance of generalization. However, inconsistent and contradictory definitions and the lack of established teaching procedures have prevented the emergence of a clear technology of generalization. This symposium will describe current difficulties in terminology and applied practices, will offer suggestions for improving terminology, and will describe an emerging technology of generalization. First, Jennifer Ledford will present a review of inconsistent terminology associated with maintenance, generalization, secondary variables, and social validity in the behavior analytic treatment literature. Second, Bailee Scheuffele will describe the six ingredients in Morningside’s technology of generalization. She will describe a project in which elementary students were taught how to discuss their independent reading with peers and apply those repertoires to voluntarily choose to participate in the Summer Book Bingo of the local library system. Lastly, Daniel Carroll will describe how he applied Morningside’s six ingredients to the design of a project in which elementary and middle-school students in a corrective reading class were first taught narrative retelling repertoires, which they applied to unprompted, retellings of the important events of their day to their parents and guardians. |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| Keyword(s): Application, Generalization, Generative Responding, Maintenance |
| Target Audience: The audience should have a basic understanding of behavior analytic principles, specifically generalization. The target audience are behavior analysts working with the treatment of problem behavior, teaching of daily living skills, teaching of special education and general education students, and professionals interested in designing and programming for generalization. |
Learning Objectives: 1. Define generalization and maintenance
2. Define simple and complex generative responding
3. List and describe the six ingredients for designing for generalization |
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| Inconsistent Terminology Use in Behavior Analytic Studies: Influence on Evaluation of Impact |
| JENNIFER LEDFORD (Vanderbilt University), Joseph Michael Lambert (Vanderbilt University) |
| Abstract: To improve communication and dissemination, science requires accurate and precise use of terms, including those used to describe conditions in research studies. Inconsistency of terminology used in behavior analytic treatment literature may prevent consumers from understanding of the impact of the work and may prevent researchers interested in synthesizing results across studies from effectively identifying and communicating results. This review was specifically focused on the difficulties with terminology associated with maintenance, generalization, secondary variables, and social validity. We use data collected for a systematic review of applied studies designed to reduce interfering behavior to illustrate some of these difficulties. We discuss the findings from this systematic review, especially in relation to outcomes associated with impact. Authors sometimes used different terms to refer to the same concepts and the same terms to refer to disparate concepts. These differences may lead to confusion regarding outcomes in behavior analytic work. We provide suggestions for improving terminology and description of single case design studies, to improve both meaningful evaluations of impact and understanding of the overall impact of research via systematic review. |
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| Morningside’s Six Ingredients for Generalization: Teaching Students to Voluntarily Participate in a Summer Reading Program |
| BAILEE SCHEUFFELE (Morningside Academy), Andrew Robert Kieta (Morningside Academy, The Wing Institute at Morningside Academy), Kent Johnson (Morningside Academy) |
| Abstract: An unequivocal example of effective teaching is when learners engage in previously taught behaviors across varied contexts beyond the classroom. For instruction to be meaningful, a technology of application, or simple generative responding, is necessary. Morningside Academy is developing such a technology, by identifying six ingredients that make application of skills to meaningful real-world contexts more likely, including the use of a series of structured forms to systematically apply those skills to contexts that increasingly share features with real-world environments. For this project, students were encouraged to select texts aligned with their interests and share reflections with peers, eventually broadening their selections according to teacher-selected genres and topics. These structured forms utilized reading as a medium for social interaction, allowing students to reinforce reading comprehension and fluency in authentic settings. Over time, teacher involvement was phased out, with learners independently seeking out a broader range of reading materials, engaging in book discussions, and sharing recommendations in both social and academic settings (as reported by teachers or caregivers). This structured, real-world application of reading promotes essential skills such as critical thinking, effective communication, and social engagement, making the reading experience more meaningful and socially relevant. |
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Morningside’s Six Ingredients for Generalization: Teaching Students to Retell Their School Day at Home |
| DANIEL CARROLL (Morningside Academy), Andrew Robert Kieta (Morningside Academy, The Wing Institute at Morningside Academy), Kent Johnson (Morningside Academy) |
| Abstract: A home environment in which students describe the events of their day in an efficient and functional manner is one that fosters social connectivity, socially reinforces complex verbal behavior, and creates a context for problem solving discussions. For this project, Morningside’s six ingredients for simple generative responding were used to design a sequence in which students learned effective retelling repertoires in the classroom, then applied those repertoires through a series of contexts that shared more and more features of the home environment. Initial instruction began with students learning a retelling procedure that they used after reading stories in the Corrective Reading: Decoding B2 curriculum. Then, students applied those retelling repertoires to a series of structured forms – or contexts- where they were invited to engage in retelling behavior about various practiced activities. Students then applied the retelling procedure parts of their school day using Morningside's Daily Support Card, which provided a framework to increase both quality and frequency of students' 'kind of day' retells. Lastly, students were taught to apply retelling repertoires when discussing their day with parents or guardians in their home settings. |
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