TRANSFER OF STIMULUS CONTROL FROM MOTOR TO VERBAL STIMULI¹

Abstract

A transfer of stimulus control procedure was used to teach three profoundly retarded adolescents a series of specific responses to specific verbal instructions. After imitative control of a behavior was established, a verbal instruction was presented immediately before the behavior was modelled. Each correct response was followed on the next trial by inserting a delay between the verbal instruction and the modelling of the behavior.The delays increased from trial to trial. Transfer of stimulus control was indicated when a subject responded correctly on five consecutive trials before the behavior was modelled. All three subjects responded correctly to each verbal instruction after that item was trained in a multiple-baseline order. Generalization did not occur to items that had not been trained. Probe data revealed that some variations of the verbal instructions controlled responses after training was completed.The prevalence of speech and language disorders among retarded populations has frequently been documented (Schlanger and Gottsleben, 1957;Spradlin, 1963). Thus, it is not unusual that many attempts to modify the speech and language-related skills of such populations have occurred (Baer, Peterson, and Sherman, 1967;Bricker and Bricker, 1970; Johnson, Capobianco, and McLean, 1970;Miller, 1960). Many of these initial attempts have focused on motor imitation or the correct production of speech with institutionalized subjects. Yet, for the institutionalized retardate, environmental contingencies are organized so that reinforcement is more likely to occur for behaviors such as being able to follow instructions.

Errorless Learning: Reinforcement Contingencies and Stimulus Control Transfer in Delayed Prompting

“…Stimulus materials do not appear to be critical and there is no need to develop elaborate, subtle, and sometimes unique graduated changes necessary to effective fading (Etzel, LeBlanc, Schilmoeller, & Stella, 1981). A number of studies have shown that this approach can teach useful discriminations to handicapped and young unimpaired children (Johnson, 1978;Smeets & Striefel, 1976;Stremmel-Campbell, Cantrell, & Halle, 1977;Striefel, Bryan, & Aikins, 1974;Striefel, Wetherby, & Karlan, 1976). Parametric studies have until now been conducted only with lower organisms (Brown & Rilling, 1975;MacDonall & Marcucella, 1976).…”

Crossmodal Transfer of Stimulus Control: Preparing Students with Severe Multiple Disabilities for Audiological Assessment

“…While such crossmodal transfer has been reported previously (Striefel et al, 1974), it has been limited to individuals with intact sensory functioning, who have presumably demonstrated some prior evidence of responsiveness to cues presented in the auditory mode. In the current report, systematic transfer of stimulus control pro cedures was effective in establishing operant behavior to a stimulus modality that had previously failed to ex ert reliable stimulus control over the student's behavior, regardless of the form or intensity of the cues.…”

“…Crossmodal transfer of a response from the con trol of a visual stimulus to the control of an auditory stimulus has been documented (Sidman & Cresson, 1973;Striefel, Bryan, & Aikens, 1974) but only in per sons with demonstrated intact sensory modalities.…”

Arranging a residential environment for the developmentally disabled to generate and maintain verbal behavior

“…During sessions 16 through 57, the training procedure consisted of differential reinforcement of correct responding. On session 58, the training procedure was modified so that a delayed prompting technique was used (Striefel, Bryan, & Aikens, 1974). The change in procedure resulted in rapid acquisition of the discrimination.…”