Efficiently Establishing Concepts of Inferential Statistics and Hypothesis Decision Making Through Contextually Controlled Equivalence Classes

Abstract

Computerized lessons that reflect stimulus equivalence principles were used to teach college students concepts related to inferential statistics and hypothesis decision making. Lesson 1 taught participants concepts related to inferential statistics, and Lesson 2 taught them to base hypothesis decisions on a scientific hypothesis and the direction of an effect. Lesson 3 taught the conditional influence of inferential statistics over decisions regarding the scientific and null hypotheses. Participants entered the study with low scores on the targeted skills and left the study demonstrating a high level of accuracy on these skills, which involved mastering more relations than were taught formally. This study illustrates the efficiency of equivalence-based instruction in establishing academic skills in sophisticated learners.

Using equivalence‐based instruction to teach the visual analysis of graphs

“…All participants who completed the study learned the directly trained baseline discriminations, derived relational responding immediately emerged for three out of four participants, and all participants passed the tests for the emergence of symmetrical relations (BA, CB), and transitivity and equivalence relations (AC, CA) by the end of training and testing. These results replicate and extend recent studies (Albright et al, ; Albright et al, ; Fienup & Critchfield, ; Walker & Rehfeldt, ) where the current study better controlled for testing effects when compared to previous studies, and with novel complex stimuli that are socially relevant to behavior analysts.…”

“…In a series of studies (Critchfield & Fienup, ; Fields et al, ; Fienup, Covey, & Critchfield, ; Fienup & Critchfield, ), EBI was used to teach college student complex skills such as those required for interpreting statistics, and for relating facts about brain anatomy. The studies used computer‐based training to teach and test the relations involved in the equivalence classes.…”

Contextual control using a go/no‐go procedure with compound abstract stimuli

“…P2, P3, and P4 showed the emergence of these classes after reviewing baseline relations. These results replicated previous studies that used the MTS procedure to establish contextual control (e.g., Bush et al, 1989;DeRosse & Fields, 2010;Fienup & Critchfield, 2010;Kohlenberg et al, 1991;Lynch & Green, 1991;Mackay et al, 2011;Markham & Dougher, 1993;Meehan & Fields, 1995; P erez-P e0rez e1Gonz alez & Mart ınez, 2007; P erez- Table 2 Percentage of trials in which P3 emitted at least one go response during sessions 1 and 2 of Phase 3-Emergent relations test.…”

Stimulus equivalence for teaching mathematical first-degree functions in the elementary school

“…Os resultados desse estudo são consistentes com os apresentados na literatura (Ninness et al, 2005(Ninness et al, , 2006(Ninness et al, , 2009Lynch & Cuvo, 1995;Fienup & Critchfield, 2010) no que se refere à efetividade da utilização do modelo da equivalência de estímulos como estratégia de ensino e de aprendizagem de matemática. Sendo assim, o procedimento de ensino utilizado nessa investigação pode ser considerado como uma possibilidade metodológica a mais para o ensino de função matemática do primeiro grau, que pode ser incorporada pelos professores em seu trabalho.…”

“…No que se refere às habilidades matemáticas, foram realizados, por exemplo, estudos sobre o ensino de número (e.g., Escobal, Rossit, & Goyos, 2010;Prado & de Rose, 1999;Leicester, Sidman, Stoddard & Mohr, 1971;), relações entre frações e números decimais (Hammond, Hirt, & Hall, 2011;Lynch & Cuvo, 1995), o comportamento de ordenação (e.g., Assis, Motta, & Prado, 2015;Verdu, de Souza, & Lopes Jr., 2006); a resolução de problemas aritméticos (e.g., Henklain & Carmo, 2013a;2013b), as transformações de funções quadráticas, exponenciais e trigonométricas (Ninness et al, 2005(Ninness et al, , 2006(Ninness et al, , 2009, a inferência estatística e o teste de hipóteses (Fienup & Critchfield, 2010). Essas pesquisas demonstraram que o modelo da equivalência de estímulos é apropriado para o ensino dessas habilidades a participantes de diferentes faixas etárias, incluindo aqueles que apresentam desenvolvimento atípico.…”