Patrick M. Ghezzi

Effects of Computer-Based Fluency Training on Concept Formation

This study provides a preliminary analysis of how the techniques of fluency training can be combined with systematic concept instruction to improve the learning of complex verbal concepts. Fluency techniques, which require the learner to respond accurately at high rates, have typically focused on definition learning when teaching concepts. Instructional psychologists, however, recommend multiple exemplar training for conceptual instruction. To examine this issue, 41 undergraduate students completed a computer-based instructional module on logical fallacies. Participants were assigned to one of four groups, with the modules for each group differing only in the type of practice provided—either fluency or practice with either examples or definitions. Examination of posttest scores revealed significantly higher scores for participants in the examples groups than those in the definitions groups, but low experimental power prevented a clear conclusion to be drawn about differences between the fluency and practice groups. Implications of results and several methodological issues relevant to this area of research are discussed.

Stimulus specificity and dishabituation of operant responding in humans.

Habituation has recently been addressed within the operant conditioning paradigm. While the literature on this topic is growing, the examination of dishabituation, a fundamental characteristic of habituation, remains limited. This study expanded research on habituation of operant responding in non-human animals to research involving humans. Specifically, dishabituation and stimulus specificity were examined under a variety of conditions involving changes in the reinforcer type, reinforcement schedule, reinforcer amount, and selected properties of the antecedent stimuli for a computerized task with 46 undergraduate students. An additional 3 participants were exposed to a control condition. Evaluation of within session patterns of responding indicates that the introduction of stimulus changes into the operant context reliably produced dishabituation of operant responding in humans.

Mutual exclusivity and exclusion: Converging evidence from two contrasting traditions.

Mutual exclusivity and exclusion are two terms used by cognitive psychologists and behavior analysts, respectively, to identify essentially the same phenomenon. While cognitive psychologists view mutual exclusivity in terms of a hypothesis that individuals use intuitively while acquiring language, behavior analysts regard exclusion as a derived stimulus relation that bears upon the acquisition and elaboration of verbal behavior. Each research tradition, though at odds with respect to accounting for the phenomenon, employs similar procedures to answer comparable questions. Insofar as both cognitive and behavioral psychologists are studying the same phenomenon, the ground work is established for collaboration between them.

A self-capitalization model for building behavior analysis graduate programs.

The development of the Behavior Analysis Program at the University of Nevada through self-capitalization is described. With this model, both doctoral and master’s degree programs were established at almost no cost to the university. Some of the problems encountered along the way, including gaining support for the original proposal, attracting and retaining high-quality faculty, engendering support from the Department of Psychology and the university, developing resources, and balancing academic with entrepreneurial demands are discussed, as are the solutions we have found for those problems.

FCT and Delay Fading for Elopement with a Child with Autism.

Nearly half of children with autism have eloped from their caregivers. In assessing elopement, the initial functional analytic results of this case study found positive reinforcement in the form of attention and access to tangibles were the maintaining variables. Functional communication training (FCT) in combination with delay fading was utilized to increase communication and decrease elopement. Results indicated that communication was consistent, elopement remained low, and the child learned to wait.

Revisiting conjugate schedules

The effects of conjugate reinforcement on the responding of 13 college students were examined in three experiments. Conjugate reinforcement was provided via key presses that changed the clarity of pictures displayed on a computer monitor in a manner proportional to the rate of responding. Experiment 1, which included seven parameters of clarity change per response, revealed that responding decreased as the percentage clarity per response increased for all five participants. These results indicate that each participants responding was sensitive to intensity change, which is a parameter of conjugate reinforcement schedules. Experiment 2 showed that responding increased during conjugate reinforcement phases and decreased during extinction phases for all four participants. Experiment 3 also showed that responding increased during conjugate reinforcement and further showed that responding decreased during a conjugate negative punishment condition for another four participants. Directions for future research with conjugate schedules are briefly discussed.

9 – Academic Entrepreneurship

Publisher Summary This chapter explains the academic entrepreneurship. It is possible to develop a successful graduate training program on the model of self-capitalization. The model requires an ability on the part of the academic discipline involved to provide a needed service for a fee, a means of leveraging the fees earned, and a flexible academic institution in which to situate the program. Fulfilling each of these requirements involves its own set of challenges. The chapter focuses on the means, by which fees for services delivered have been leveraged in such a way as to support the growth and development of the academic training program. Higher education appears to be undergoing a transition, the outcome of which promises to be considerable institutional support for the development of training programs on an entrepreneurial model. In the course of pursuing the model of self-capitalization, it discovers some of its advantages over traditional practices. Among them are a significantly greater potential for program growth and development, and a much greater opportunity for the comprehensive training of students.

Psychological Theories of Childhood Autism

Our aim is to survey the major psychological theories of childhood autism. We provide critical comments along the way and elaborate at times on key aspects of the most promising theories, namely, those that conceptualize the disorder from the behavior analytic point of view. We end the chapter with a call for additional theoretical work that links the development and elaboration of autistic behavior in young children to the concepts and principles embodied in the theory and philosophy of behavior analysis.

Developmental Disabilities and Mental Retardation

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the nature of developmental disabilities (DD) and mental retardation (MR), focusing on the diagnostic, assessment, and treatment methods associated with DD and MR. Many types of DD are associated with specific genetic and biological conditions. The disorders include inborn errors of metabolism that are inherited, single-gene abnormalities where the abnormality is known to be related to a specific gene, and chromosomal abnormalities. A major contribution to DD and MR (30%) results from conditions that can occur to a developing fetus during pregnancy. Another contributor to DD and MR consists of the effects of the postnatal environment on the developing neonate. Two types of competency are generally acknowledged: legal competence and clinical competence. All adults are considered legally competent until declared otherwise by a court, whereas those under the age of 18 are considered legally incompetent. Although all psychopathologies may be found at all levels of MR, persons with mild MR tend to be more frequently diagnosed with traditional psychiatric disorders. Those with severe or profound MR are observed to show severe behavioral disturbances.