Members (behaviors) of a response class are equivalent in that they produce the same functional reinforcer. Oftentimes, some members of a response class occur at higher rates than others. This can be problematic when the members that occur at high rates are socially inappropriate (e.g., self-injury, aggression, or disruption). The participant in…

Children with autism often demonstrate less variable behavior than their typically developing peers and those with other cognitive disabilities. A possible reason for lack of response variability emitted by children with autism is that they do not have a variety of response forms in their repertoire. Multiple-exemplar training through the use of…

A primary deficit seen in many children with autism, particularly those with limited verbal repertoires, is repetitive and rote verbal behavior. This type of repetitive or rote verbal behavior can be stigmatizing and may severely limit access to primary reinforcers. Therefore, it may be beneficial to attempt to increase response variability in…

The present study attempted to elicit covert verbalization with a bit more assurance, as compared to Gagne and Smith, and to compare the effects of instructions to covertly verbalize with instructions to talk out loud while solving problems. (Author/MS)

Part 1 appeared in Deutsch als Fremdsprache"; v8 n3 p136-150 1971. (RS)

This study undertook to reconcile the views of cognitive and behavioral learning theorists on the issue whether learning without awareness (LWA) is possible, and if so, the circumstances under which it occurs. In Study One, two reinforcement procedures were compared in a structured verbal conditioning task. Study Two was a replication of Study…

Concerns the effects of instructions on classical conditioning of the GSR (galvanic skin response). It demonstrates that verbal conditioning of the GSR can be obtained using an innocuous unconditioned stimulus (UCS). Discusses implications for theories of human classical conditioning. (Editor/RK)

Assess the effects of patient-experimenter proximity on schizophrenics' learning when the social class of the subjects, both schizophrenics and nonschizophrenics, and the verbal and nonverbal components of social reinforcement are controlled. Also tests males and females to determine whether sex of subjects moderates the responses of…