Derived Comparative and Transitive Relations in Young Children with and Without Autism

Abstract

The current study comprised 2 experiments to generate relational responding in typically developing children and children with autism. In Study 1, the children were exposed to a problem-solving task that involved the presentation of 2, 3, or 4 identically sized coins to test and train the arbitrary relations of more than and less than. All 8 children failed baseline tests involving 4 coins and were exposed to training of the A-B, B-C, A-B-C, and A-B-C-D relations. Seven proceeded rapidly through training and passed tests with a novel set. They then participated in

Cooperation came first: Evolution and human cognition

“…When comparative relations become arbitrarily applicable, that same child will prefer a quarter over a dime over a nickel. Both in typically functioning and disabled children, the performances are no longer dependent on nonarbitrary stimulus relations once the core relational skill is trained (Berens & Hayes, 2007;Gorham, Barnes-Holmes, Barnes-Holmes, & Berens, 2009); even adults with deficits in relational reasoning benefit from training programs that focus on the flexibility and fluency of arbitrary comparative relations (Vitale, Campbell, Barnes-Holmes, & Barnes-Holmes, 2012).…”

Assessing and Training Comparative Relations in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Gorham, Barnes-Holmes, Y., Barnes-Holmes, D., and Berens (2009) subsequently replicated and extended this work to children with ASD as well as typically developing children, yielding similar results. Two studies were conducted, (Gorham et al, 2009), whereby the participants were presented with problem-solving tasks using coins in order to test and train the arbitrary relations of more than and less than. Study 1 consisted of a baseline phase that tested the relational repertoires of the participants.…”

“…Most of the research to date that has taught comparative frames using MET, only includes typically developing participants. There have been two studies that have included both typically developing children and children with ASD (i.e., Gorham et al, 2009;Murphy & Barnes-Holmes, 2010); however, there have been no studies to date that have explicitly focused on children with ASD alone regarding teaching comparative relations using MET.…”

“…The teacher filled out the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS), teacher's edition (Carter et al, 1998). A Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-IV; Dunn & Dunn, 2007), was carried out in order to determine language ability of the participants. These two tests were selected to test the participants' verbal abilities without exhausting the students prior to their participation in the intervention.…”

Comparison of Motivational Interviewing with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Conceptual and Clinical Review

“…Such acceptance-based interventions are posited to have the following beneficial consequences: (1) weakening of the relations between overt environmental , cognitive, physiological, & emotional stimuli and (2) increase in an individual’s ability to focus on and engage in behaviors consistent with his or her long-term values. Over 70 empirical studies provide empirical support for RFT’s basic tenets (for a review, see Hayes et al, 2001 and for recent empirical articles, see Gorham, Barnes-Holmes, Barnes-Holmes, & Berens, 2009; Lipkens & Hayes, 2009; O’Hora, Peláez, Barnes-Holmes, Robinson, & Chaudhary, 2008; Villatte, Monestès, McHugh, Freixa i Baqué, & Loas, 2010; Vitale, Barnes-Holmes, Barnes-Holmes, & Campbell, 2008; Weinstein, Wilson, Drake, & Kellum, 2008). …”