Date of Award
12-1-2024
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Behavior Analysis and Therapy
First Advisor
Shawler, Lesley
Abstract
For individuals with developmental disabilities, teaching methods that maximize time and resources are critically important. Matrix training is a teaching method that has been used to maximize teaching time for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by producing recombinative generalization. Recombinative generalization allows individuals to produce and understand novel stimuli, from previously trained stimuli components. This includes color-shape combinations, noun-preposition combinations, and noun-verb combinations in individuals who are vocal, and those with speech-generating devices. However, the percentage of recombinative generalization individuals produce through matrix training ranges anywhere from 0% - 94%. With such a wide range, it is difficult to pinpoint what prerequisites or procedural modifications are necessary for recombinative generalization to emerge. The primary purpose of this paper was to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of two different training procedures: simultaneous training and combination training based on the procedures by Bergmann et al. (2022) for three participants, between the ages of 5-6. Participants were taught arbitrary stimuli using combination training, in which both components are taught at the same time as one stimulus, and simultaneous training, which uses a chained- trial procedure, for two matrices. Results for all three participants were similar to Bergmann et al. (2022), in which simultaneous training produced more recombinative generalization in less training time. After training, a preference assessment was conducted with each participant to determine if they preferred the training condition that was more efficient/effective. Results of the assessment showed that participants did not prefer one condition over the other, as results were mixed. Implications, limitations, and considerations for future research are discussed as well.
Access
This thesis is only available for download to the SIUC community. Current SIUC affiliates may also access this paper off campus by searching Dissertations & Theses @ Southern Illinois University Carbondale from ProQuest. Others should contact the interlibrary loan department of your local library or contact ProQuest's Dissertation Express service.