Jacques Forget

Effect of Paced and Unpaced Practice on Skill Application and Retention: How Much Is Enough?

This study examined the relative benefits of mastery learning, overlearning, and fluency-building instructions for academic performance and long-term retention. College students enrolled in introductory quantitative methods classes (n = 168) were asked to practice every week with a computerized flash-card program until they attained various mastery criteria. The results confirmed that practicing until mastery improved individual exam scores, group success rates, and long-term retention. Moreover, overlearning provided additional benefits, especially in long-term retention. However, fluency-building instructions did not further increase academic achievement or long-term retention. Despite the alleged detrimental effects of drill and practice on motivation, a positive relationship was found between amount of practice and attitudes toward the course, the subject matter, and practice activities.

Verbal Behavior in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders at the Onset of an Early Behavioral Intervention Program.

The scope of this study was direct observation of verbal behaviors of 14 children with autism spectrum disorders at the onset of an early behavioral intervention (EBI) program delivered in a public services agency. Objectives were to (1) describe frequencies of vocal, verbal, and listener behaviors; (2) evaluate the relationship between the behaviors and the children’s level of functioning (IQ and severity of autistic symptoms); and (3) describe the types of consequences provided by EBI therapists following the children’s behaviors. The descriptive and statistical analysis of the data showed that 3 profiles of children were distinctively different in vocal, verbal, and listener behaviors. The results concerning the consequences contingently delivered by therapists to those behaviors show that 65% were followed by positive attention, 5% by negative attention, and 30% by no attention. Results led to recommendations for planning EBI programs, where therapists are not formally trained in verbal behavior analysis.

The allocation of playing behavior of children in mainstream day care according to social reinforcer ratios

ABSTRACT Previous works on the generalized matching law in natural settings studied behavioral patterns of participants having developmental disabilities. From a translational view (applying findings from basic science to applied research and reciprocally), it is of interest to evaluate the sensitivity of typical behavior to reinforcement among typical children. In the current study, we examined the relationship between children’s naturally occurring rate of play behaviors and rate of social reinforcers awarded by their educator and peers. Three typical children’s behaviors were observed via descriptive analyses in their usual day care room during periods of free play. Results show that the generalized matching law explained 94%, 73%, and 90% of the variance of the relation between behavior and reinforcer rate ratios and that children’s behaviors were sensitive to social attention (sensitivity of .88, .67, and .87). Allocation of playing behaviors of typical preschool children followed the matching law predictions. The natural variability of response and reinforcer rates (their unpredictability) within natural settings is discussed. We suggest that there may be no need in natural settings to wait for the operant to reach a steady state as long as participants have been consistently behaving in the contingencies of reinforcement.

Temporal control of behaviour in children with differential reinforcement of low rates schedule: the role of age, language and cognitive functioning on temporal regulation

Research on temporal regulation in children has been prolific until early 1990s and has received a very limited attention since then. However, the studies focussed mainly on very short durations, and many questions raised at that time remain unanswered (Clément et al., 2007). The scope of this study was to evaluate temporal control in children with differential reinforcement of low-rates (DRL) schedule. Objectives were (a) to evaluate the performance in DRL with two distinct durations; (b) to evaluate the relationship between performance, IQ and language; and (c) to observe childrens response patterns across the sessions. Eleven children aged from 2.6 to 7 years old were exposed to a DRL 5s and a DRL 20s schedule. No significant correlation was observed between language, IQ and the performance in DRL. In DRL 5s, seven children adjusted their responses and six in DRL 20s. Age was positively correlated to performance in DRL 5s, while the response patterns in DRL 20s were hardly predictable. In both conditions, children aged from 4.6 years old showed a lower proportion of bursting responses, a lower rate of response, a larger proportion of reinforced responses and a higher optimisation coefficient.