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| Training Advanced Verbal Operants: A Multi-Population Investigation |
| Sunday, May 25, 2025 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| Marriott Marquis, M4 Level, Archives |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Translational |
| Chair: Tatiana Zhirnova (Monarch House) |
| Abstract: This symposium presents three studies across a variety of populations demonstrating methods to teach complex verbal behavior and begin to understand the mechanisms responsible for their establishment. The first study examined the role of bidirectional naming in analogical reasoning among children aged 5 to 7. Results indicated that tact training, involving the identification of categories and relationships, effectively facilitated analogical reasoning, supporting the need for both speaker and listener behaviors. The second study sought to explore the variables which control autoclitic behavior with typically developing adults. Participants were exposed to varying levels of visual distortion in Japanese Hiragana characters, demonstrating that some could learn autoclitic tacts through modeling while others required direct feedback. The final study focused on teaching children with ASD to discriminate between autoclitic frames like “is” and “is not.” Results showed that structured training led to successful differentiation and generalization to novel contexts. These findings highlight the importance of tailored training approaches to foster complex verbal skills, contributing to the understanding of the establishment of complex verbal behavior in diverse populations. The implications emphasize the potential for targeted interventions to enhance communication and problem-solving abilities. |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| Keyword(s): Analogical Reasoning, Autoclitics, Verbal Behavior |
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The Role of Bidirectional Naming in the Emergence of Analogical Relations in Children: A Further Evaluation |
| (Applied Research) |
| TATIANA ZHIRNOVA (Monarch House), Caio F. Miguel (California State University, Sacramento), Maria Clara Cordeiro (Endicott College) |
| Abstract: We investigated the role of bidirectional naming in the emergence of analogical reasoning in 4 typically developing children between the ages 5 and 7. All participants learned to tact both the categories (clothes, furniture, and vehicles) and the relations (same and different) among 9 stimuli. They were subsequently tested on analogical responding during which they were presented with two stimuli belonging to the same or different categories and asked to select the comparison that matched the sample. During the last analogy test we asked participants to tell us why they selected a certain comparison. Tact training produced derived analogical responding (symmetry and transitivity) in all participants with two requiring direct training to solve baseline analogy relations. The results of this study suggest that tact training is sufficient to produce analogical responding in children. The current study supports previous research that state that participants must engage in both speaker and listener behaviors consistent with bidirectional naming to respond accurately to analogy tasks. |
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| A Preliminary Investigation of Variables Controlling Qualifying Autoclitics and Autoclitic Tacts |
| (Basic Research) |
| MARIA CLARA CORDEIRO (Endicott College), Masaya Yamaguchi (University of Tsukuba), David J. Cox (Endicott College; Mosaic Pediatric Therapy), Caio F. Miguel (California State University, Sacramento) |
| Abstract: 3. While Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior has led to significant advances in understanding primary verbal operants, research on autoclitic behavior, considered a “secondary verbal operant” (Skinner, 1957) remains limited. Autoclitic behavior has been described as verbal behavior that has a differential effect upon the listener when emitted by the speaker. The current investigation attempts to identify the variables controlling autoclitic tacts (e.g., qualifying autoclitics) through an experimental analysis with typically developing adults. Researchers implemented a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across teaching sets to examine the emergence and establishment of autoclitic behavior using Japanese Hiragana characters and sounds as novel stimuli. Two sets of three images were distorted across three levels (0%, 50%, and 100%). Tacts were established with images at 0% distortion. A confederate peer then modeled autoclitic tacts during training sessions when presented with images distorted at 50% and 100% of the same characters. Data were collected on participants' correct tacts and emission of both modeled and generalized autoclitic. One participant required direct feedback while the other participant learned autoclitics when modeled by a confederate peer. |
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Teaching Listener Responding to Autoclitic Frame to Children With Autism |
| (Applied Research) |
| MERAL KOLDAS (University of Nebraska Medical Center Munroe Meyer Institute), Alice Shillingsburg (Munroe-Meyer Institute, UNMC), Thom Ratkos (Berry College), Mary E. Stepanek (University of Nebraska Medical Center Munroe Meyer Institute), Sarah Elizabeth Vesely (University of Nebraska Medical Center, Munroe Meyer Institute), Shariq Ullah Khan (Endicott College & Munroe-Meyer Institute, UNMC) |
| Abstract: An autoclitic is defined as a verbal behavior that modifies the function of other verbal behaviors. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often struggle to use and respond correctly to autoclitic frames. This study aimed to address how children with ASD respond to the autoclitic frames “is” and “is not” as part of their listener behavior. Using a nonconcurrent baseline design across participants, six children with ASD were taught to differentiate between these frames during structured activities involving colored cups and hidden preferred items. Discrete trial teaching (DTT), along with model and verbal prompts, was used during the teaching sessions. The participants successfully mastered listener responding to the autoclitic frames and generalized these skills to novel materials. This research contributes to the growing understanding of autoclitic behaviors in children with ASD and aims to improve communication through targeted interventions. The results and their implications will be discussed during the presentation. |
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