Anthony J. Cuvo

Developmental Differences in Rehearsal and Free Recall.

Abstract The purpose of this experiment was to analyze developmental differences in rehearsal strategies which may mediate the commonly found age effect on free recall. As expected, significant age differences in recall were found; analysis of rehearsal strategies showed that fifth and eighth graders tended to repeat stimulus words immediately after presentation, and not enter items into subsequent rehearsal sets. Adults, in contrast, tended to reenter items for additional rehearsal, and had larger rehearsal buffers. Immediate repetition may have served as additional massed presentation trials, which are less consequential for learning than later reentry of items (spaced trials). It was inferred that children engaged primarily in maintenance rehearsal, and adults in both maintenance and elaborative rehearsal.

Effects of living room, Snoezelen room, and outdoor activities on stereotypic behavior and engagement by adults with profound mental retardation.

Two experiments were conducted to test the effect of a room with sensory equipment, or Snoezelen room, on the stereotypic behavior and engagement of adults with profound mental retardation. In Experiment 1, participants were observed in their living room before and after attending the Snoezelen room. Results showed that there tended to be a reduction in stereotypy and increase in engagement when participants went from their living room to the Snoezelen room, and a return of these behaviors to pre-Snoezelen levels in the living room. Positive effects in the Snoezelen room did not carryover to the living room. In Experiment 2, the living and Snoezelen rooms were compared to an outdoor activity condition with the same participants and target behaviors. Results showed that the outdoor condition was superior, the Snoezelen condition intermediate, and the living room least effective in their impact on stereotypic behavior and engagement. Conceptualizations regarding factors that maintain stereotypic behavior and engagement were discussed in the context of the three experimental conditions.

Behavioral applications to the rehabilitation of traumatically head injured persons

Abstract Recent scientific and medical advances have resulted in the survival of large numbers of persons with severe head injuries. Unfortunately, clinicians lack well-controlled research describing an effective technology to retrain these clients. A behavioral approach to assessment and training appears to offer much to this clinical population, as it has with others. Traumatically head injured individuals have unique problems, and research addressing their special problems is needed.

On Stimulus Generalization and Stimulus Classes

Stimulus generalization has been defined as the spread of effect of reinforcement for responses emitted in the presence of one stimulus to different stimuli presented under extinction conditions. As a result of stimulus generalization, novel stimuli come to exert stimulus control over members of the response class. Studies in the applied behavior analysis literature, however, have reported experimental preparations that included prompting and reinforcement procedures during what were claimed to be stimulus generalization conditions. These studies violated the procedural requirement that stimulus generalization be tested under extinction conditions. Responses that come under the control of a class of stimuli may do so by direct training or by stimulus generalization. It is desirable for organisms to respond in the presence of members of an appropriately constructed stimulus class, but we should understand the mechanism of entry into the class by its members. If inaccurate claims of stimulus generalization are made when training procedures are used in the ostensible generalization conditions, the robustness of the original training procedures will be over estimated. By adhering to the operational requirements of behavioral definitions, we could better understand the power and limits of our educational and training procedures.

Maintenance and generalization of behaviours after treatment of persons with traumatic brain injury

This review of behavioural research literature was conducted to determine if persons who have experienced a traumatic brain injury are able to maintain and generalize behaviours after training, and to identify formal programming strategies that might have been utilized to enhance maintenance and generalization. Studies reviewed included those that employed behavioural procedures to increase adaptive behaviours or reduce maladaptive behaviours and collected maintenance and generalization data. Results of the review indicate that persons who have experienced a traumatic brain injury have experienced successful response maintenance and generalization of community-referenced tasks. It is suggested that impaired memory does not keep persons from maintaining and generalizing such tasks, and that strategies to promote maintenance and generalization need to be included in behavioural programming.

Teaching a functional leisure skill cluster to rehabilitation clients: the art of macrame

Disabled people often do not use leisure time productively. Past research has focused on teaching specific recreational activities isolated from related skills that would provide subjects a functional independent living repertoire. In the present study disabled subjects were taught the art of macrame. Additionally, they role-played related shopping skills such as buying materials, engaging in appropriate social-interpersonal skills, making monetary transactions, and securing their own transportation to and from the store. Subjects were taught six basic macrame knots using an instructional manual, series of error-correction procedures, and social reinforcement. After mastering those basic knots they independently used the instructional materials to make three complete macrame projects without direct instruction on the projects themselves. Subjects also demonstrated skill maintenance and generalization by making a novel project after independently engaging in all relevant shopping behavior. Two varieties of the multiple baseline design were employed. The importance of teaching a leisure skill cluster and adapting instructional materials were emphasized.

Teaching nutritional meal planning to developmentally disabled clients

Four developmentally disabled adults were taught to plan nutritious meals, devise grocery lists, and locate listed foods in a supermarket. Training procedures included various instructional materials, experimenter modeling, verbal instructions, and response-contingent feedback. After 7 to 9 hours of training, subjects met the designated acquisition criterion. Follow-ups after 1 week and 1 month demonstrated that all three subtasks were maintained above a 90% level. A probe to a novel supermarket showed generalization on the food location task for all subjects. A multiple probe design across subjects showed that skill acquisition occurred only after each subtask was trained.

Teaching Athletic Skills to Students Who Are Mentally Retarded.

P.L. 94–142 provides the right to physical education for handicapped pupils including nonacademic and extracurricular activities such as athletics. Despite the legislative mandate for physical education and the value of athletic activity, few validated programs have been published to teach complex gross motor skills, such as sports, to mentally retarded students. Therefore, two experiments were conducted to evaluate procedures to teach athletic skills to moderately and severely mentally retarded students. Participants were taught the standing long jump (Experiment 1) and the 50-yard dash (Experiment 2), using task analysis and a training package of prompts and response consequences. Experimental control was evaluated by the multiple baseline across subjects design. Results showed acquisition and maintenance of the two athletic skills. The efficacy of behavioral techniques for teaching athletic skills to moderately and severely retarded persons is also discussed.

A transactional systems model of autism services.

There has been an escalation in the number of children identified with autism spectrum disorders in recent years. To increase the likelihood that treatments for these children are effective, interventions should be derived from sound theory and research evidence. Absent this supportive foundation, intervention programs could be inconsequential if not harmful. Although atypical, the development of children with autism should be considered initially from the perspective of the same variables that affect the development of typical children. In addition, the developmental deviations that characterize autism must be considered when developing intervention programs. Behavioral systems models describe both typical and atypical development and emphasize dynamic multidirectional person—environment transactions. The environment is viewed as having multiple levels, from the individuals with autism themselves, to larger societal and cultural levels. Behavioral systems models of human development can be generalized to a transactional systems model of services for children with autism. This model is the foundational theoretical position of the Southern Illinois University Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. The center’s programs are described to illustrate the application of the model to multiple levels of the social ecology.

Training Children with Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders to Comply with Healthcare Procedures: Theory and Research

All children should have scheduled visits to various healthcare providers. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 12 scheduled well-child care visits between 3–5 days of age and age 3, and yearly visits thereafter (Mozingo, 2009). General developmental surveillance should occur during these visits, as well as developmental screening, when indicated. The American Academy of Pediatrics (2010) also recommended an immunization schedule for children of age 0 through 6 years. The 2010 schedule includes 25 shots during the first 15 months of life that generally are given during the well care visits.