This study compared the effects of a computer-based stimulus equivalence protocol to a traditional lecture format in teaching single-subject experimental design concepts to undergraduate students. Participants were assigned to either an equivalence or a lecture group, and performance on a paper-and-pencil test that targeted relations among the names of experimental designs, design definitions, design graphs, and clinical vignettes was compared. Generalization of responding to novel graphs and novel clinical vignettes, as well as the emergence of a topography-based tact response after selection-based training, were evaluated for the equivalence group. Performance on the paper-and-pencil test following teaching was comparable for participants in the equivalence and lecture groups. All participants in the equivalence group showed generalization to novel graphs, and 6 participants showed generalization to novel clinical vignettes. Three of the 4 participants demonstrated the emergence of a topography-based tact response following training on the stimulus equivalence protocol.

We evaluated the facilitative effects of multiple exemplar training (MET) on the establishment of derived tact relations in typically developing children. A multiple-probe design across stimulus sets was implemented to introduce MET. Participants were first taught to conditionally relate dictated names in English to their corresponding objects (listener behavior; A-B relations), followed by tests for derived tacts (B-A relations). If participants failed these tests, MET was implemented whereby tact relations were explicitly taught with novel stimulus sets, followed by test probes with the original training set. MET continued with novel stimuli until participants met criterion for the emergence of derived tact relations or after exposure to three MET sets. Results indicated failed tests for tact relations following direct training in listener relations, and marked improvements in derived tact relations following MET across all participants.

The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of multiple exemplar instruction for teaching perspective-taking skills Ruth Anne Rehfeldt to young adults with autism. Using a multiple probe design, participants were trained and tested using protocols evaluating the deictic frames of I-You, Here-There, and Now-Then. Generalization of perspective-taking skills was evaluated using two standardized assessments designed to evaluate theory of mind, which were administered at pre and posttest. Generalization of perspective-taking skills to a more natural language situation was also assessed. Results showed the emergence of perspective-taking for all participants following multiple exemplar instruction, and varying degrees of generalization of perspective-taking skills to a natural presentation of social interaction were observed based on the complexity of the perspective-taking relation.

We explored the effects of points versus no points on the submission of homework assignments and quiz performance in a graduate-level course. Students were more likely to submit homework assignments during points weeks, but quiz scores were relatively unaffected.Key words: higher education, homework assignments, point contingencyClassroom learning opportunities that arrange active engagement in course material and frequent feedback have been shown to enhance students' performance (e.g., Benjamin, 1991;Michael, 1991). Homework assignments are one example of such an opportunity. Recent research on the advantages of homework assignments has raised questions about their practical benefits (see Trautwein & Koller, 2003), largely due to procedural limitations associated with large-group experimental designs. An innovative study by Ryan and Hemmes (2005) was among the first procedurally rigorous studies to evaluate the effects of homework on students' performance in a college course. The authors evaluated the effects of a points versus no points contingency on the submission of homework assignments and quiz performance in an undergraduate psychology course and found that the mean percentage of homework assignments submitted and mean quiz scores were substantially higher in the points condition. The purpose of the present study was to replicate and extend the study reported by Ryan and Hemmes to the graduate school classroom. METHOD Participants, Settings, and MaterialsThirty-one graduate students (26 women and four men), pursuing master of science degrees in the Behavior Analysis and Therapy Department at Southern Illinois University, provided informed consent and initially participated in the study. All of the students were enrolled in a required course entitled ''Behavioral Assessment and Observation Methods.'' The course met for approximately 3 hr once per week for 15 weeks. The course focused on behavioral definitions, observational recording techniques, and issues of validity and reliability of measurement. The first author of this study served as the course instructor, and the second and third authors served as teaching assistants.We used two textbooks and a number of journal articles. Homework assignments and quizzes were based on the content of weekly assigned readings and were written by the authors. Homework assignments were each worth 10 points and included 5 to 10 questions that were either short-answer or essay questions. Each quiz was worth 15 points and included 4 to 10 questions that were either short-answer or essay questions. Points were assigned for each quiz and homework assignment question based on the complexity of the question. Points for homework questions ranged from 1 to 2 points apiece, and points for quiz questions ranged from 1 to 6 points

Transfer of control from picture to text‐based activity schedules has been shown to occur following conditional discrimination training in children with autism. This study extended this research by evaluating if conditional discrimination training could promote transfer of control in an adult with Down syndrome. The participant was taught to select photographs and pictures of kitchen tools when provided with dictated names. Then, he completed a text‐based activity schedule, matched printed words to photographs, and orally named printed words without direct training.