Date of Award
5-2016
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Behavior Analysis and Therapy
First Advisor
Dixon, Mark
Second Advisor
Koch, Shane
Third Advisor
Pingo, John
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a procedure for promoting stimulus equivalence class formation inclusive of olfactory, visual, and textual stimuli. The procedures used in the study were taken from the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Relational Training System Equivalence Module (PEAK-E). Four participants diagnosed with autism were taught to match written words (A) with pictures (B) (A-B), and to match pictures (B) with olfactory stimuli (C) (B-C). Following direct training of the A-B and B-C relations, the participants demonstrated both the derived transitive A-C relation, as well as the derived equivalence C-A relation. In addition, after demonstrating the formation of the equivalent olfactory-visual-textual classes, the participants also demonstrated untrained speaker (tact) as well as listener (mand) responses. The study was the first to demonstrate the emergence of equivalence classes inclusive of olfactory stimuli.
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