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| Research and Instructional Implications for the Functional Independence of Primary Verbal Operants for Early Speakers |
| Sunday, May 27, 2007 |
| 10:30 AM–11:50 AM |
| Elizabeth C |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Yemonja Smalls (Elim Christian Services) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this symposium is to present instructional implications for the functional independence of primary verbal operants based on research findings. Research on primary verbal operants suggests that mands, tacts, and intraverbals are functionally independent. The instructional implication for such research is that, without intervention, teaching one function does not necessarily establish a separate function. However, recent research suggests that particular tactics can be used to simultaneously establish verbal operants. In this symposium, we present four applied studies on the functional independence of primary verbal operants and research-based tactics to simultaneously establish mand, tact, and intraverbal functions for early speakers. Williams presents research comparing verbal and noverbal antecedents when teaching tacts to children with developmental disabilities. Ross presents research examining the functional independence of pure and impure tacts for early speakers. Helou presents research on the use of an instructional tactic, multiple exemplar instruction, to simultaneously establish pure and impure tact functions. Giordano presents research on the use of an instructional tactic, multiple exemplar instruction across establishing operations, to simultaneously teach mand and tact functions. Data presented in this symposium confirm the functional independence of mands, tacts, and intraverbals and suggest instructional implications for early speakers. |
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| Instructional implications of two procedures to study the generalization of tacting actions in children with autism. |
| GLADYS WILLIAMS (Centro de Investigacion y Ensenanza del Lenguaje, SL), Jose Julio Carnerero (Centro Al-Mudaris, Cordoba), Luis Antonio Perez-Gonzalez (Universidad de Oviedo, Spain) |
| Abstract: One of the challenges that verbal behavior specialists encounter when teaching the nonverbal child with autism is to discover the best conditions that would facilitate generalization of a tact repertoire. This intervention compared the effects of two procedures on the generalization of a tacting repertoire in several children with autism. In one procedure the verbal antecedent stimulus “What is she doing?” appeared together with a person performing an action; in the other procedure, the antecedent stimulus was just the presence of the person performing the action, but the verbal antecedent was not presented. Results indicated that in order to obtain generalization of tacting actions, it was necessary to learn to tact other actions without the verbal antecedent as well as learning to tact the action with the verbal antecedent. |
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| Effects of Pure and Impure Tact Instruction on Tact Acquisition and Generalization for Preschoolers. |
| DENISE E. ROSS (Columbia University Teachers College), Leila Farshchian (Stepping Stones, Fairlawn's Autism Program), Domenica Bassora (Fairlawn Public Schools), Allison Pahlck (Fairlawn Public Schools) |
| Abstract: Two experiments were conducted to test the functional independence of pure and impure tacts for four preschoolers with diagnoses of autism. Using a changing conditions design with probes, pure and impure tact instruction were counterbalanced across participants during tact training; participants’ tact responses were then probed under the untaught antecedent and during tests of generalization. Results showed that impure tact instruction required fewer learn units to criterion than pure tact instruction for all participants, and that the three participants with more fluent verbal behavior emitted tacts without errors to the untaught antecedents. Generalization probes showed no differences between pure and impure tact instruction. Experiment 2 was a systematic replication of Experiment 1 with the three participants who showed no differences in the first experiment, but a Spanish antecedent was used to control for instructional history with the antecedent. Results showed that pure tact instruction required fewer learn units to criterion than impure tact instruction for two participants, and two participants emitted tacts without errors in the untrained condition. Generalization probes showed no differences between pure and impure tact instruction. Results suggest that differences between pure and impure tacts might be attributed to participants’ instructional histories. |
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| Multiple Exemplar Instruction to Establish Pure and Impure Tact Responses for Early Speakers. |
| YASMIN J. HELOU-CARE (Columbia University Teachers College), Dr. Shira A. Ackerman (Columbia University Teachers College) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present research findings from an experiment designed to evaluate the effects of multiple exemplar instruction on the acquisition of pure tacts (tacts under nonverbal antecedent control) and impure tacts (tacts under verbal antecedent control). Participants were three early speakers who could not emit listener and speaker responses to a single stimulus during pre-instructional probes. The intervention was multiple exemplar instruction, and it consisted of rotating learn units across opportunities to emit match, selection, pure tact, and impure tact responses to target stimuli. Post-instructional probes with novel stimuli showed that participants acquired pure and impure tact responses without additional intervention. Results suggest that multiple exemplar instruction across speaker and listener repertories may be an effective tactic to establish pure and impure tacts for early speakers. |
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| Multiple Exemplar Instruction across Establishing Operations to Teach Mands and Tacts. |
| KRYSTL GIORDANO-PADILLA (Columbia University Teachers College), Dr. Shira A. Ackerman (Columbia University Teachers College) |
| Abstract: This experiment investigated the effects of multiple exemplar instruction on the transfer of establishing operations across mands and tacts. Participants were two 4-year old preschool children with developmental delays. Investigators used a delayed, counterbalanced multiple probe design across participants and experimental probes to test the emergence of untaught responses following multiple exemplar instruction and the teaching of one repertoire. Both students demonstrated significant improvements when the untaught functions were probed after multiple exemplar training. Results suggested that multiple exemplar instruction across mands and tacts was effective in teaching participants to transfer establishing operations across mands and tacts. |
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