Two studies compared the effectiveness of two procedures (multiple examples across trials and within trials) in teaching 10 students (ages 10-20) with moderate disabilities functional word discriminations. The first procedure was superior in acquisition; the latter procedure, however, was better under generalization for most participants.…

Five preschool children at risk for mental retardation were taught to choose an odd stimulus which varied in one important dimension (e.g., form, color, or size) from other stimuli in a set. Oddity responding was shown to transfer across stimulus types, and learning was maintained for a minimum of six weeks. (Author/JW)

Describes an experimental study which investigated the relative efficacy of two types of concept nonexamples in preventing overgeneralization errors among first grade students (n=67). Results indicated that the group which received both coordinate and ordinary concept nonexamples scored significantly higher than the group which received only…

Sixteen individuals (ages 7-18) with moderate or severe mental retardation were taught to identify 2 comparative discriminations by a static or dynamic presentation procedure. No differences in percentage of unprompted correct responses were found between the two procedures in training, generalization, or maintenance. (Author/JDD)

Research was conducted relevant to two questions: First, does generalized imitation reflect the child's failure to discriminate reinforced from non-reinforced occasions? Second, are the results which characterize generalized imitation a function of confounded social and instructional influences that operate within the procedures used in…

Stimulus discrimination is a standard subject in undergraduate courses presenting basic principles of learning, and a particularly interesting aspect of discrimination is the peak shift phenomenon. Peak shift occurs in generalization tests following intradimensional discrimination training as a displacement of peak responding away from the S+ (a…

Teachers and teacher educators seem to be little aware of some major concepts about instruction that provide important insights into the central requirements for learning. A common misconception is that motivation has to do with wanting or desiring. It is instead attention to stimuli that is influenced by two powerful agents--(1) suspense,…

Written from a developmental viewpoint, this book for parents and teachers presents both a theoretical orientation and perceptual motor activities for training children with learning disabilities, both the brain injured and the retarded. The theoretical basis for training generalized motor responses is considered in terms of motor perceptual…