A systematic review of the matrix training literature

Abstract

The rapid acquisition and generality of skills are important considerations when developing teaching techniques in various educational settings. Acquiring skills without direct teaching reduces instructional time, improves efficiency, and saves money. These desirable outcomes can be achieved through generative instruction such as matrix training. Numerous studies have evaluated the effectiveness of the matrix training strategy, but there are several procedural variations in developing a matrix training procedure. The current literature requires a comprehensive review to determine what strategies are effective when arranging a matrix training procedure and directions for future research. The purpose of this literature review was to identify all of the studies that have used a matrix training approach to teach a skill. A total of 35 articles (containing 40 experiments) were identified and included in this review. The articles were coded according to several parameters including participant characteristics, dependent and independent variables, outcomes, maintenance, and social validity. The results of this review indicate the variation in implementation strategies employed during matrix training. Limitations of the current literature as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Sentence comprehension and production in children with cochlear implants: Errorless procedures and equivalence‐based instruction

“…These new combinations were produced with the elements (S‐V‐O) from the taught sentences (nondiagonal combinations; open circles in Figure 3). These results add to other reports of the effectiveness of matrix training in promoting recombinative performances (Goldstein, 1983) in typically developing children with minimal verbal repertoires (Frampton et al., 2016; Kemmerer et al., 2021; Yamamoto & Miya, 1999). These data also replicate those from previous studies that adopted matrix training to teach sentences to CI children, both by training the diagonal and probing the nondiagonal combinations of the matrix (Neves et al., 2018; Silva et al., 2017) or by training nondiagonal combinations and probing the diagonal combinations (Golfeto & de Souza, 2015).…”

“…Sentence productivity requires the recombination of words with the same syntactic function (Mackay, 2013) and can be generated through matrix training (Goldstein, 1983). In matrix training, stimuli are distributed in rows and columns, the intersection of which produces combinations; some matrix combinations are trained while others are probed for recombinative generalization (Goldstein, 1983; Kemmerer et al., 2021). Matrix training has facilitated sentence productivity in various populations (Frampton et al., 2016; Yamamoto & Miya, 1999), including CI children (Golfeto & de Souza, 2015; Neves et al., 2018).…”

Comparing matrix sizes when teaching direction following to preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder

“…Despite the many advantages of matrix training, Kemmerer et al. (2021) noted multiple areas for development with matrix training. The existing literature on matrix training contains limited reporting on procedural integrity measures and maintenance data.…”

Caregiver involvement in applied behavior‐analytic research: A scoping review and discussion

“…Understanding of caregiver involvement is incomplete even among well‐researched topics. For instance, reviews on caregiver training and implementation indicate that caregivers can be taught to implement behavioral interventions with corresponding improvements in their child's behavior (e.g., Kemmerer et al, 2023; Sun, 2022; Unholz‐Bowden et al, 2020). Reviews on caregiver training tend to be narrowly focused on a certain population, treatment procedure, or setting.…”

“…Reviews on caregiver training tend to be narrowly focused on a certain population, treatment procedure, or setting. Kemmerer et al (2023) focused on caregiver training for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, Sun (2022) on individuals with intellectual or development disabilities (IDD) during behavioral skills training, and Unholz‐Bowden et al (2020) on caregiver training via telehealth. Each of these reviews is important to establish that parent training occurs and can be effective for these populations, interventions, or settings.…”