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Questions and Answers
What does successful performance on probe trials indicate in the context of equivalence-class formation?
What does successful performance on probe trials indicate in the context of equivalence-class formation?
What is a key outcome of utilizing equivalence approaches in teaching?
What is a key outcome of utilizing equivalence approaches in teaching?
Which of the following describes class formation in the context of equivalence?
Which of the following describes class formation in the context of equivalence?
Delayed emergence in probe trials refers to
Delayed emergence in probe trials refers to
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Which of these is NOT identified as a key outcome of stimulus equivalence?
Which of these is NOT identified as a key outcome of stimulus equivalence?
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What is the minimum number of interrelated conditional discriminations needed to demonstrate all three properties of equivalence?
What is the minimum number of interrelated conditional discriminations needed to demonstrate all three properties of equivalence?
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Which of the following is NOT a methodological choice in arranging four-term contingencies?
Which of the following is NOT a methodological choice in arranging four-term contingencies?
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What is a reasonable starting point for teaching a first conditional discrimination?
What is a reasonable starting point for teaching a first conditional discrimination?
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Which mode of stimulus presentation is NOT mentioned as part of the EBI approach?
Which mode of stimulus presentation is NOT mentioned as part of the EBI approach?
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What does the flexibility in stimulus presentation allow in the EBI approach?
What does the flexibility in stimulus presentation allow in the EBI approach?
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What type of discrimination involves presenting stimuli sequentially across trials?
What type of discrimination involves presenting stimuli sequentially across trials?
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Which teaching procedure shifts gradually from an easily acquired discrimination to a more difficult one?
Which teaching procedure shifts gradually from an easily acquired discrimination to a more difficult one?
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Which of the following is NOT a technique used to teach conditional discriminations?
Which of the following is NOT a technique used to teach conditional discriminations?
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What is the primary purpose of prompting procedures in teaching?
What is the primary purpose of prompting procedures in teaching?
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What does exclusion training teach participants to do?
What does exclusion training teach participants to do?
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Which procedure is first introduced in the context of matching-to-sample?
Which procedure is first introduced in the context of matching-to-sample?
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Which type of control is essential for accurate conditional discrimination performance?
Which type of control is essential for accurate conditional discrimination performance?
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What is the main feature of the systematic introduction of training-trial types?
What is the main feature of the systematic introduction of training-trial types?
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What is the primary advantage of sequential training of multiple conditional discriminations?
What is the primary advantage of sequential training of multiple conditional discriminations?
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In a one-to-many training structure, which of the following is true?
In a one-to-many training structure, which of the following is true?
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Which training structure uses comparison stimuli from one conditional discrimination as sample stimuli in the next?
Which training structure uses comparison stimuli from one conditional discrimination as sample stimuli in the next?
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What is a characteristic of simultaneous training of multiple conditional discriminations?
What is a characteristic of simultaneous training of multiple conditional discriminations?
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What is one critical consideration for selecting a training structure for conditional discriminations?
What is one critical consideration for selecting a training structure for conditional discriminations?
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In a many-to-one training structure, which statement is correct?
In a many-to-one training structure, which statement is correct?
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Which situation best illustrates the concept of 'learning-set outcome' in sequential training?
Which situation best illustrates the concept of 'learning-set outcome' in sequential training?
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Study Notes
Applied Behavior Analysis - Chapter 19: Equivalence-Based Instruction
- Equivalence-based instruction (EBI) significantly utilizes generativity
- A small amount of explicit instruction can produce an extensive new relation network, not directly targeted during training.
- Behavior analytic research on stimulus equivalence explores how environmental experiences shape the function of symbols.
Learning Objectives
- Defining and providing examples of stimulus control (B-10)
- Defining and providing examples of derived stimulus relations (B-15)
- Teaching simple and conditional discriminations (G-10)
- Utilizing equivalence-based instruction (G-12)
- Promoting stimulus and response generalization (G-21)
Equivalence-Based Instruction: Research Foundations
- Stimulus equivalence is a significant focus in basic, experimental, and applied behavior analytic science.
- This approach examines a person's experience with the environment to understand the development of symbolic function.
Pioneering Research (Sidman, 1971; Sidman & Cressan, 1973)
- Three institutionalized young men with severe intellectual disabilities participated in the study.
- Training involved a matching-to-sample procedure.
- A spoken word (sample stimulus) was presented, and participants indicated recognition.
- Eight drawings (comparison stimuli) were then presented, and matching selections were requested.
- Results demonstrated AB conditional discrimination, with the appropriate comparison stimulus reliably selected.
What Was Learned (Probe Trials)
- Probe trials were used to distinguish learned rote pairings from the acquisition of symbolic skills.
- Probes presented in a matching-to-sample format, under extinction conditions, to identify emergent stimulus relations.
- Response patterns were analyzed despite the absence of reinforcement, confirming emergent/derived relations.
Four Critical Probe Trials in Equivalence Studies
- Reflexivity: A=A (generalized identity matching).
- Symmetry: If A=B, then B=A; if A=C, then C=A.
- Transitivity: If A=B, and B=C, then A=C.
- Combined test for equivalence: C=A if both symmetry and transitivity hold.
Equivalence-Class Formation
- Successful performance on reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity probe trials (or combined tests for equivalence) in the absence of reinforcement demonstrates class formation.
Figure 19.3: Schematic Representation of Trained and Tested Conditional Discriminations
- The figure illustrates trained and tested conditional discriminations using arrows showing relations from sample to comparison arrays. Reflexivity, symmetry, and combined equivalence tests are shown.
Why It Mattered
- Novel stimulus controls were created not directly targeted through training.
- Reliable and predictable patterns of novel relations were produced, not solely relying on physical similarities between stimuli.
- This approach enhances teaching efficiency.
- The equivalence outcome highlights the essence of a symbol.
- Emergent behavior is reliably observed and demonstrated in predictable patterns through probe trials.
Continued Development of Equivalence Research
- Key outcomes include class formation, expansion and merger, transfer of function, and contextual control.
Class Formation
- Demonstrating stimulus interchangeability and equivalence class formation is paramount.
- Percentage of probe trials consistent with equivalence forms a common measure.
- Emergent equivalence may manifest immediately or after prolonged testing.
Class Expansion and Class Merger
- Equivalence classes can grow by adding new members. Requires teaching a new conditional discrimination using a member of the existing class.
- Combining independent classes to create larger ones, through introducing new interconnected conditional discriminations, is another possibility.
Transfer of Function
- Equivalent stimuli function similarly; they are interchangeable.
- Transfer of function has been demonstrated in various stimulus functions.
- Once a class is formed, learning from any class member applies to all other members within the class.
Contextual Control
- Class composition can change depending on the context.
- Stimuli can be part of different classes depending on the context.
- A complex teaching arrangement known as a five-term contingency results in contextual control.
- Match-to-sample performances are influenced by antecedent stimuli.
- Comparing and selecting stimuli are contingent on the context.
Designing Equivalence-Based Instruction
- Various training and testing variables influence the creation of equivalence classes.
- Specific decisions are needed in planning effective EBI procedures
Table 19.1: Equivalence-Based Instruction Design Decisions
- The table provides a framework for designing effective EBI programs by examining training and testing considerations for equivalence.
Training Baseline Conditional Discriminations
- Teaching two or more interconnected conditional discriminations using matching-to-sample.
- Methodological choices, including stimulus presentation, observing responses, instructions, trial types, instructional programming, training structure, and mastery criteria, are essential.
Selecting and Presenting Stimuli
- Stimulus choice depends on the target skills.
- A wide range of stimulus types has been successfully utilized.
- The number of stimuli depends on the learner, population, and learning goals.
- A three-sample, multiple-comparison stimulus structure is a common starting point in the training of conditional discriminations.
- Procedures are flexible and can be adapted depending on the context.
Observing Responses
- Participant response to the sample stimulus is a critical component of matching-to-sample procedures.
- The observing response triggers the presentation of comparison stimuli and opportunities for reinforcement.
- These responses aim to increase attention to the sample. Decreasing impulsivity is also a significant part of observing responses.
Task Instructions
- Task instructions range from simple to more sophisticated based on learner needs.
- Trained conditional discriminations should be sustained once instructional support is withdrawn
Arranging Trial Types and Sequences
- Balancing order and type distribution across trials aids in learning.
- Ensures consistent influence without interfering stimulus control.
- Standard practices regarding trial type/frequency, comparing stimulus position, correct stimulus position distribution, and trial block size should be employed to ensure stimulus control, and increase learning.
Instructional Programming and Training
- Additional procedures, beyond the matching-to-sample reinforcement, are sometimes necessary.
- Methods like prompting, modeling, and corrections are considered.
- Approaches sometimes include introducing component simple discriminations in a structured manner, shaping stimulus control, and introducing multiple discriminations through a structured exclusion approach or a sequential approach.
Teaching the Component Simple Discriminations
- Successful performance of accurate conditional discriminations depends on two or more simple discriminations.
- Presented sequentially across trials, successive discriminations between stimuli distinguish them for the learner.
- The comparison stimuli are presented simultaneously as the choice array in a given trial.
Stimulus-Control Shaping
- This procedure resembles errorless learning but starts with an easier discrimination, gradually shifting to a more difficult conditional one.
- The foundation of this process is the matching-to-sample procedure.
Exclusion Training
- Teaches a novel arbitrary conditional discrimination based on the learner excluding a known stimulus in the presence of a novel stimulus.
- This approach maintains conditional control by the sample.
- Conditional stimulus properties are maintained when new examples are presented alongside existing samples and comparison stimuli.
Sequential Versus Simultaneous Introduction of Multiple Conditional Discriminations
- Sequentially introducing conditional discriminations allows for rapid learning.
- Independent learning of conditional discriminations is essential to ensure no interfering stimulus control.
- Trial types are intermixed.
Training Structures
- Training structure focuses on how multiple discriminations are interrelated.
- A stimulus set (nodal stimulus) must remain common across multiple discriminations for a foundation for equivalence properties.
- One-to-many and many-to-one structures, along with linear series training, influence how skills are introduced and formed.
Figure 19.15: Schematic Representation of Three Training Structures
- The figure displays schematic examples of three different types of training structures (one-to-many, many-to-one, and linear series)
- These schemas demonstrate how specific stimuli may be presented in these distinct training structures.
Mastery (Accuracy) Training
- EBI often establishes criteria for accuracy that must be achieved in each stage.
- Measuring accuracy for a block's trials is a standard practice.
- High accuracy percentages are usually established.
Scheduling Consequences During Training
- Reinforcement, similar to general ABA, is applicable to EBI.
- Some programs incorporate mild punishers for incorrect selections.
- The absence of reinforcement can contrast with correct responses.
- Arranging intermittent reinforcement during the development of equivalence skills is often a step in the training process.
Testing Protocols
- Careful consideration during testing includes probe trial presentation and order, consequence scheduling, and criteria for equivalence class formation.
Composition of Probe-Trial Blocks
- Two methods, massed testing and interspersed testing, are employed in presenting probe trials.
Scheduling Consequences During Testing
- In EBI, consequences from baseline trials should be considered during testing.
- Programmed consequences can be used, but extinction conditions are also common for probe trials.
- Reinforcers are sometimes assigned to probe responses that align with the formation of equivalence classes.
Test Order
- Sequential introduction is a practice in EBI (starting with simple probe types and moving to more complex ones).
- This method, particularly helpful for young learners and those with cognitive disabilities, is meant to strengthen the learner's likelihood of successful equivalence outcomes.
Judging Class Formation
- If emergent performances are not immediately demonstrated, a variety of strategies, such as repeated presentations and adjustments to the training or testing procedure, are helpful.
Procedural Variations in EBI
- Matching-to-sample is a core procedure in EBI.
- Alternatives to matching-to-sample training approaches exist, including using compound stimuli, class-specific reinforcement, and simple discrimination training.
Compound Stimuli
- A stimulus compound as a sample can result in more emergent relations and larger equivalence classes.
- This approach leads to each stimulus component within the compound forming an independent equivalence class.
Class-Specific Reinforcement
- Outcomes that are conditional on the sample stimulus can help in acquiring conditional discriminations.
- Class-specific outcomes can become class members themselves.
Three-Term Contingency Training
- This method aids in the creation of equivalence classes.
- This approach is highly effective and is especially beneficial for teaching young children and learners with various developmental challenges.
Applications and Generality
- EBI has diverse applications for children with intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities or other areas of difficulty.
- EBI can support language skills, number skills, and other functional skills for learners in various settings.
- Advanced EBI can be implemented with adults with acquired brain injuries, gerontology, or in other related clinical populations; or even in college classes to teach more complex subject matters.
Applications Stemming from Alternative Theoretical Approaches to Relational Responding
- Alternative theoretical approaches, such as Naming Theory and Relational Frame Theory (RFT), frame emergent behavioral responding as learned rather than solely a function of reinforcement contingencies.
- Higher-order operants, defined by general relations between antecedents and responses, can be trained using multiple example training.
Naming Theory
- Naming is a higher-order operant in bidirectional speaker/listener behavior related to a specific object or event.
- Naming is a classification approach, whereby stimuli with the same name (and thus shared meaning) are interchangeable.
Figure 19.29: Illustration of the Naming Relation
- The figure illustrates the bidirectional naming relationship between seeing a shoe and calling it "shoe" and hearing or saying "shoe."
Relational Frame Theory
- Framing represents the key higher-order operant that explains responding to one stimulus in terms of another.
- Mutual entailment, combinatorial entailment, and transformation of function are critical properties of relational frames.
- Contextual stimuli influence which relational frame is appropriate for a given context.
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Description
Test your understanding of equivalence-class formation and its applications in teaching. This quiz covers key aspects of probe trials, outcomes of stimulus equivalence, and methodological choices in educational approaches. Challenge yourself to recall essential concepts and their implications in a learning context.
