Two studies on stimulus overselectivity among three and four severely retarded adolescent males suggested that overselective responding occurs within a match-to-sample paradigm; its degree is influenced by delay intervals; it may be a failure to discriminate low preference dimensions of a multiple cue stimulus within specified situations; and it…

Three autistic boys (ages 9-13) were trained to select a card containing a stimulus array comprised of three visual cues. Decreased distance between cues resulted in responses to more cues, increased distance to fewer cues. Distances did not affect the responding of children matched for mental and chronological age. (Author/JW)