Naming, the Formation of Stimulus Classes, and Applied Behavior Analysis

Abstract

The methods used in Sidman's original studies on equivalence classes provide a framework for analyzing functional verbal behavior. Sidman and others have shown how teaching receptive, name-referent matching may produce rudimentary oral reading and word comprehension skills. Eikeseth and Smith (1992) have extended these findings by showing that children with autism may acquire equivalence classes after learning to supply a common oral name to each stimulus in a potential class. A stimulus class analysis suggests ways to examine (a) the problem of programming generalization from teaching situations to other environments, (b) the expansion of the repertoires that occur in those settings, and (c) the use of naming to facilitate these forms of generalization. Such research will help to clarify and extend Horne and Lowe's recent (1996) account of the role of verbal behavior in the formation of stimulus classes.

Integrating Basic and Applied Research and the Utility of Lattal and Perone's Handbook of Research Methods in Human Operant Behavior

“…The prospects for applying equivalence methods have been addressed in two JABA discussion papers Stromer, Mackay, & Remington, 1996). Hayes and Hayes suggest that applied researchers thoroughly acquaint themselves with the different procedures used for studying equivalence.…”

“…Some possibilities for applied research were examined in prior discussion articles (e.g., Cataldo & Brady, 1994;Friman et al, 1998;Lattal & Neef, 1996;Mace, 1994;Stromer et al, 1996). This section of the Handbook expands upon the methodology and conceptual frameworks of verbal and social behaviors.…”

“…The cross-referencing of the terms gives rise to linkages that suggest areas of fruitful empirical study (e.g., relations among coding, tacting, and remembering), and other potentially productive linkages are implied (e.g., relations among equivalence, intraverbal behavior, and verbal learning; adduction, abstraction, productivity, and recombinatory generalization). Research ideas also may be derived from (a) recent theoretical discussions about the role of verbal behavior in stimulus class formation and other complex behaviors (e.g., Horne & Lowe, 1996;Stromer et al, 1996), (b) renewed interest in interventions that concentrate on the function of verbal behavior rather than its structure (e.g., Charlop-Christy & LeBlanc, 1999), and (c) the development of specialized language interventions and broad curricula based on Skinner's ideas (e.g., Bondy & Frost, 1993;Brady et al, 1994;Shafer, 1994;Sundberg & Partington, 1998).…”

Acquisition and Expansion of Kanji Vocabulary through Computer-Based Teaching in a Student with Mental Retardation : Analysis by Equivalence Relations

“…Jun-ichi YAMAMoTo* and Hirofumi SHIMIzu" (Sakagami, Yamamoto, & Jitsumori, 1994;Saundets, 1989;Tailby, 1982;Stromer & Mackay, 1996;Yamamoto, 1992 (Sidman & Tailby, 1982) or "equivalence relations" (Sidman, 2000). Since students with developmental disabilities have diMculty producing equivalence relations (Devany, Hayes, & Nelson, 1986;Yamamoto, 1994) (Eikeseth & Smith, l992;Saunders, 1989;Stromer & Mackay, 1996;Yamamoto,1994;Yamamoto & Tokutake, 1997 (Sidman, 2000).…”

“…Since students with developmental disabilities have diMculty producing equivalence relations (Devany, Hayes, & Nelson, 1986;Yamamoto, 1994) (Eikeseth & Smith, l992;Saunders, 1989;Stromer & Mackay, 1996;Yamamoto,1994;Yamamoto & Tokutake, 1997 (Sidman, 2000). (Stromer, Mackay, & Stoddard, 1992 , vocabulary acquisition (Stromer, Mackay, McVay, & Fowler, 1998), listening (Merzenich, Jenkins, Johnston, Schreiner, Miller, & Tallal, 1996), comprehension (Tallal, MMer, Bedi, Byma, Wang, Nagarajan, Schreiner, Jenkins, & Merzenich, 1996), sentence construction (Yamamoto & Miya, 1999), and L18-grammatical development (Tallal et al, 1996 (Merzenich et al, 1996;Tallal et al,, 1996).…”