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| Recent Research on the Tact Relation in Children with Developmental Disabilities |
| Sunday, May 24, 2015 |
| 3:00 PM–3:50 PM |
| 217A (CC) |
| Area: VBC/DDA; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Tina Sidener (Caldwell University) |
| CE Instructor: Tina Sidener, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: This symposium will include three data-based presentations on the tact relation in children with developmental disabilities. The first study evaluated the effects of differential observing responses (DORs) and observing responses (ORs) on the acquisition of tacts in three children diagnosed with autism in a two-part experiment. Results suggested that using DORs rather than ORs may be beneficial when teaching tacts that require conditional discriminations. The second study compared the effects of successive and simultaneous training on the acquisition of tacts in three children with developmental delays. Simultaneous and successive tact training had similar impact upon listener relations, but simultaneous presentation may be a more efficient teaching method for children with limited tact repertoires. The third (on-going) study extends the research on the effects of tact-before-receptive and receptive-before-tact training sequences on the acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of tact and receptive discrimination repertoires. Results will be discussed in terms of facilitative effects and efficiency of training sequences for children with autism. |
| Keyword(s): listener, observing response, receptive, tact |
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| Effects of Differential Observing Responses on Tact Training Involving Simple and Conditional Discriminations |
| CHARLOTTE LYNN CARP (McNeese State University), Lee Allen Leger Jr. (Mcneese State University) |
| Abstract: Research has ubiquitously demonstrated that having learners emit differential observing responses (DORs) to sample or comparison stimuli in a matching-to-sample task can facilitate acquisition of conditional discriminations. However, Kisamore and Karsten (2013) has been the only study to evaluate the effects of DORs on simple discriminations in the intraverbal relation with preschool-aged children. The present study extended this research by evaluating DORs on the acquisition of tacts in three children diagnosed with autism in a two part experiment. In both parts, a multi-element design was used to evaluate three conditions: (1) identity matching (DOR), (2) pointing (OR), and (3) no training control. In Experiment 1, the stimuli used for tact training only required a simple discrimination. Results showed no differential effects on the acquisition of tacts. In Experiment 2, the same participants were tested using new stimuli that now required a conditional discrimination. Overall, all participants showed faster acquisition of tacts in the matching condition than in the pointing condition; however, the effects were small for two of the participants. Results suggest that during tact training, using DORs rather than traditional observing responses may be beneficial when teaching tacts that require conditional discriminations. |
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| The Effects of Successive and Simultaneous Tact Training on Listener Behavior |
| Curtis Clough (California State University, Sacramento), Amanda Chastain (California State University, Sacramento), Caio F. Miguel (California State University, Sacramento), TAYLOR SWEATT (University of Houston-Clear Lake), Sarah A. Lechago (University of Houston-Clear Lake) |
| Abstract: Besides being of theoretical interest, research on functional independence among speaker and listener behaviors could aid in the development of efficient procedures to teach verbal behavior to children with language delays. The current study compared two procedures to teach tacts, namely successive and simultaneous training using a multiple treatment design. During the successive tact training, one set of three stimuli was taught with one picture presented in each trial. During the simultaneous tact training, another set was trained with all three pictures presented in each trial. Three children with developmental delays were exposed to both teaching conditions and sets were counterbalanced across participants. Two of the individuals had over 100 tacts previously demonstrated while the third had less than ten tacts. After training, listener relations' tests were conducted and corresponding listener relations emerged for both sets for all participants. The participant with the more limited tact repertoire reached criterion in 40% less sessions with the simultaneous procedure. These results suggest that simultaneous and successive tact training both have similar impacts upon listener relations, but simultaneous presentation may be a more efficient teaching method for children with limited tact repertoires. |
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| Differential Effectiveness of Tact-Before-Receptive and Receptive-Before-Tact Training in Children with Autism |
| LAUREN GOODWYN (Caldwell University), Tina Sidener (Caldwell University), April N. Kisamore (Caldwell University), Kenneth F. Reeve (Caldwell University), Anna I. Petursdottir (Texas Christian University) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this on-going study is to extend the research on the effects of tact-before-receptive and receptive-before-tact training sequences on the acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of tact and receptive discrimination repertoires. A multiple-baseline design across training sequences (i.e., receptive-before-tact and tact-before-receptive) is being employed, and the order of training sequences presented is counterbalanced across participants and across stimulus sets. While training is implemented for one set, the second set remains in baseline until mastery criterion for both probe types (i.e., tact and receptive) are met. Multiple exemplars are being taught to mastery to promote generalization across both training sequences. Generative responding is being assessed by probing stimuli in the opposite modality than they are trained in, and stimulus generalization is being assessed by probing novel stimuli. Results will be discussed in terms of facilitative effects and efficiency of receptive-before-tact and tact-before-receptive training sequences in programs for children with autism. |
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