Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, May 1, 1995
In a systematic replication of a study using college-student subjects (Pilgrim & Galizio, 1990), ... more In a systematic replication of a study using college-student subjects (Pilgrim & Galizio, 1990), 5-to 7-year-old children learned two conditional discriminations (i.e., AlBI, A2B2, AICI, and A2C2) in a two-choice arbitrary match-to-sample task and showed the emergence of two three-member equivalence classes (AlBICI and A2B2C2). Baseline conditional discrimination performances were quickly controlled by reversals of the AC reinforcement contingencies (i.e., choosing Comparison Stimulus C2 was reinforced given Sample Al, and choosing Cl was reinforced given Sample A2) when the reversals were introduced in restricted baselines. On reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity/equivalence probes following the reversal, there was some limited indication of equivalence-class reorganization (i.e., AlBlC2 and A2B2C1) in keeping with the concurrently performed baseline relations for 2 of 5 subjects, but the predominant pattern across probe trials was one of inconsistent conditional control. These findings suggest that, given similar challenges, equivalence-class performances may be more easily disrupted in young children than in adults.
How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in redalyc.org ... more How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Scientific Information System Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative
Two experiments were conducted to assess the relative thoroughness of three search patterns for b... more Two experiments were conducted to assess the relative thoroughness of three search patterns for breast self-examination (BSE). Experiment 1 compared the commonly taught concentric circles (CC) pattern to a new pattern composed of vertical strips (VS). Experiment 2 compared a radial spoke (RS) pattern to the VS pattern. Twenty-eight female subjects participated in each experiment. Each learned BSE and was post-tested using the two patterns under investigation; order of presentation was counterbalanced. BSE thoroughness was measured with the aid of a numbered grid projected on the subject's chest allowing an observer to mark each square of the grid palpated on a congruently gridded scoresheet. The percentage of the cone of the breast and of the totality of the breast tissue examined was calculated for each exam. Experiment 1 showed that the VS pattern engendered more thorough coverage of the total breast area (64.4% vs. 38.9%) and of the cone (64.1% vs. 48.7%). The results of Experiment 2 were similar: the VS pattern produced more thorough coverage of the total area (67.9% vs. 44.7%) and of the cone (70.3% vs. 57.2%). All differences were statistically reliable. Of 112 intrasubject comparisons involving the VS pattern, it produced more thorough coverage in all but nine. These results indicate that the VS pattern is the pattern of choice for maximally effective BSE.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2000
Three experiments investigated conditions designed to facilitate acquisition of arbitrary conditi... more Three experiments investigated conditions designed to facilitate acquisition of arbitrary conditional discriminations in 3-to 6-year-old normally developing children. In Experiment 1, 6 subjects failed to master the arbitrary match-to-sample task under conditions of differential reinforcement alone, but 7 subjects did so when instructions or instructions and sample naming were added. In Experiment 2, sample naming introduced in a blocked-trial arrangement resulted in acquisition, but only when the sample name was a nonsense syllable provided by the experimenter (5 of 7 subjects) and not when the sample name was generated by the subject (0 of 5 subjects). Experiment 3 demonstrated the effectiveness of a training sequence involving thematically related stimuli as an intermediate step facilitating the transition from identity to novel arbitrary relations. The difficulties in mastering arbitrary conditional discriminations shown here imply that further analyses with young children will be particularly important in efforts to investigate the development of theoretically important stimulus relations.
The ability to identify possible sources of stimulus control, and to increase or decrease them, a... more The ability to identify possible sources of stimulus control, and to increase or decrease them, as necessary, is essential to effective autism service delivery. Thus, familiarity with the fundamentals of stimulus control should hold special significance for applied behavior analysts working in the autism field. This chapter provides an overview of some major areas of basic laboratory-based stimulus control research in behavior analysis, with particular attention paid to topics of potential relevance in the application of stimulus control procedures. Defining characteristics of three-, four-, and five-term contingencies are described here, issues in establishing these forms of stimulus control are discussed, and the nature of the stimulus classes that can result in each case are explored. While emphasizing behavior–environment interactions throughout, the literature reviewed here ranges from analysis of each element of an n-term contingency to syntheses of complex human repertoires. This inductive and translational approach stands to be enhanced, however, by appropriate integration of laboratory findings with applications in autism service delivery. The experimental behavior-analytic literature has important lessons to offer those practitioners wishing to better understand the stimulus control principles that can improve intervention effectiveness.
Developmental differences in children’s conditional discrimination learning, equivalenceclass for... more Developmental differences in children’s conditional discrimination learning, equivalenceclass formation, and equivalence-class disruption were investigated in two experiments. In Experiment 1, children between 2 and 9 years of age demonstrated age-related differences across a series of preliminary training steps, such that time to acquisition was more variable for younger than for older children on an initial identity matching and category matching task. However, uponcompletion of the preliminary training, there were no age-related differences in time to acquisition of the two arbitrary conditional discriminations that would serve as the basis for equivalence-class formation, nor were there differences in time to demonstrate stable equivalence classes (Experiment 2). Also in Experiment 2, children between 2 and 14 years of age were exposed to a potential challenge to the demonstrated equivalence classes; the reinforcement contingency for theAC conditional discrimination was reversed...
Was Magic Johnson's public HIV positive disclosure correlated with changes in AIDS-related attitu... more Was Magic Johnson's public HIV positive disclosure correlated with changes in AIDS-related attitudes and behaviors of individuals on a college campus? Students surveyed witlrin two weeks of Johnson's disclosure (n = 125) were compared to matched samples tile semester before (n = 89) and after (n = 60) the announcement. We also monitored the circulation of books on AIDS at the campus library and pamphlets about AIDS taken from campus locations during this time period. After the announcement, students expressed more tolerance for people with AIDS and perceived their AIDS knowledge as higher. However, neither perceived susceptibility to HIV nor reports of safer sexual behavior increased. A short-lived increase in the numbers of pamphlets taken and books checked out was correlated with Johnson's announcement. Thus, interest in learning about AIDS and tolerance for people with AIDS increased, but there were no changes in personal risky behavior. Young adults have been targeted extensively for AIDs-preventive education. However, there is evidence that denial of personal susceptibility to the disease persists even as the incidence of HN infection increases among young, heterosexual adults. Data on college students indicate that they may suffer from a perception of "unique invulnerability" to HIV infection-that AIDS is something that happens only to people dissimilar from themselves We appreciate the assistance of Jennifer Gosnell, Russell Doles, Andrea Darrenkamp, and Brianne Reid in data collection and D. Ron Johnson's expertise in obtaining the library computer records. Deborah Haywood provided support for monitoring pamphlet-taking. Martha Jo Clemmons and Viola Simmons helped prepare the manuscript.
Pilgrim has contributed substantially to behavior analysis through her leadership, teaching, and ... more Pilgrim has contributed substantially to behavior analysis through her leadership, teaching, and research. She has served as president of its major organizations, including ABAI (as well as its Southeastern ABA chapter), the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis, and Division 25 (Behavior Analysis) of the American Psychological Association. She also served as secretary of the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and as a board member of that organization for 8 years. She has advanced the dissemination of behavior analysis and the vitality of its journals in her roles as chair of the Publication Board of ABAI, editor and associate editor of The Behavior Analyst, co-editor of the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin, and associate editor of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. She has served on the board of directors of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies and other organizations, and chaired numerous committees. Dr. Pilgrim is known, in addition, as a stellar teacher and mentor. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching and the ABAI Student Committee Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award. Dr. Pilgrim's research expertise and contributions traverse both basic experimental and applied behavior analysis. Her health-related research has brought behavior analysis to the attention of scientists and practitioners in cancer prevention, and she is noted for her innovative work on the development and modification of relational stimulus control in children and adults.
ABSTRACT Sidman and Tailby’s original definition of equivalence has been singularly influential i... more ABSTRACT Sidman and Tailby’s original definition of equivalence has been singularly influential in generating a vibrant conceptual, experimental, and applied analysis of essential behavior phenomena. At the same time, the equivalence literature is also characterized by studies indicating the emergence of patterns not directly captured by the standard equivalence definition. Research programs involving class-specific reinforcers, compound conditional or discriminative stimuli, simple discrimination training, and functional stimulus classes have all illustrated reliably emergent patterns predictable on the basis of equivalence-class formation, but which fail to meet the operational definitions of reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity. The paper asks whether considering an expanded definition of equivalence, inclusive of a range of interrelated emergent relations, might simultaneously facilitate our efforts to understand the equivalence process(es) and allow for greater application and adoption of these powerful teaching procedures.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, May 1, 1995
In a systematic replication of a study using college-student subjects (Pilgrim & Galizio, 1990), ... more In a systematic replication of a study using college-student subjects (Pilgrim & Galizio, 1990), 5-to 7-year-old children learned two conditional discriminations (i.e., AlBI, A2B2, AICI, and A2C2) in a two-choice arbitrary match-to-sample task and showed the emergence of two three-member equivalence classes (AlBICI and A2B2C2). Baseline conditional discrimination performances were quickly controlled by reversals of the AC reinforcement contingencies (i.e., choosing Comparison Stimulus C2 was reinforced given Sample Al, and choosing Cl was reinforced given Sample A2) when the reversals were introduced in restricted baselines. On reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity/equivalence probes following the reversal, there was some limited indication of equivalence-class reorganization (i.e., AlBlC2 and A2B2C1) in keeping with the concurrently performed baseline relations for 2 of 5 subjects, but the predominant pattern across probe trials was one of inconsistent conditional control. These findings suggest that, given similar challenges, equivalence-class performances may be more easily disrupted in young children than in adults.
How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in redalyc.org ... more How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Scientific Information System Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative
Two experiments were conducted to assess the relative thoroughness of three search patterns for b... more Two experiments were conducted to assess the relative thoroughness of three search patterns for breast self-examination (BSE). Experiment 1 compared the commonly taught concentric circles (CC) pattern to a new pattern composed of vertical strips (VS). Experiment 2 compared a radial spoke (RS) pattern to the VS pattern. Twenty-eight female subjects participated in each experiment. Each learned BSE and was post-tested using the two patterns under investigation; order of presentation was counterbalanced. BSE thoroughness was measured with the aid of a numbered grid projected on the subject's chest allowing an observer to mark each square of the grid palpated on a congruently gridded scoresheet. The percentage of the cone of the breast and of the totality of the breast tissue examined was calculated for each exam. Experiment 1 showed that the VS pattern engendered more thorough coverage of the total breast area (64.4% vs. 38.9%) and of the cone (64.1% vs. 48.7%). The results of Experiment 2 were similar: the VS pattern produced more thorough coverage of the total area (67.9% vs. 44.7%) and of the cone (70.3% vs. 57.2%). All differences were statistically reliable. Of 112 intrasubject comparisons involving the VS pattern, it produced more thorough coverage in all but nine. These results indicate that the VS pattern is the pattern of choice for maximally effective BSE.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2000
Three experiments investigated conditions designed to facilitate acquisition of arbitrary conditi... more Three experiments investigated conditions designed to facilitate acquisition of arbitrary conditional discriminations in 3-to 6-year-old normally developing children. In Experiment 1, 6 subjects failed to master the arbitrary match-to-sample task under conditions of differential reinforcement alone, but 7 subjects did so when instructions or instructions and sample naming were added. In Experiment 2, sample naming introduced in a blocked-trial arrangement resulted in acquisition, but only when the sample name was a nonsense syllable provided by the experimenter (5 of 7 subjects) and not when the sample name was generated by the subject (0 of 5 subjects). Experiment 3 demonstrated the effectiveness of a training sequence involving thematically related stimuli as an intermediate step facilitating the transition from identity to novel arbitrary relations. The difficulties in mastering arbitrary conditional discriminations shown here imply that further analyses with young children will be particularly important in efforts to investigate the development of theoretically important stimulus relations.
The ability to identify possible sources of stimulus control, and to increase or decrease them, a... more The ability to identify possible sources of stimulus control, and to increase or decrease them, as necessary, is essential to effective autism service delivery. Thus, familiarity with the fundamentals of stimulus control should hold special significance for applied behavior analysts working in the autism field. This chapter provides an overview of some major areas of basic laboratory-based stimulus control research in behavior analysis, with particular attention paid to topics of potential relevance in the application of stimulus control procedures. Defining characteristics of three-, four-, and five-term contingencies are described here, issues in establishing these forms of stimulus control are discussed, and the nature of the stimulus classes that can result in each case are explored. While emphasizing behavior–environment interactions throughout, the literature reviewed here ranges from analysis of each element of an n-term contingency to syntheses of complex human repertoires. This inductive and translational approach stands to be enhanced, however, by appropriate integration of laboratory findings with applications in autism service delivery. The experimental behavior-analytic literature has important lessons to offer those practitioners wishing to better understand the stimulus control principles that can improve intervention effectiveness.
Developmental differences in children’s conditional discrimination learning, equivalenceclass for... more Developmental differences in children’s conditional discrimination learning, equivalenceclass formation, and equivalence-class disruption were investigated in two experiments. In Experiment 1, children between 2 and 9 years of age demonstrated age-related differences across a series of preliminary training steps, such that time to acquisition was more variable for younger than for older children on an initial identity matching and category matching task. However, uponcompletion of the preliminary training, there were no age-related differences in time to acquisition of the two arbitrary conditional discriminations that would serve as the basis for equivalence-class formation, nor were there differences in time to demonstrate stable equivalence classes (Experiment 2). Also in Experiment 2, children between 2 and 14 years of age were exposed to a potential challenge to the demonstrated equivalence classes; the reinforcement contingency for theAC conditional discrimination was reversed...
Was Magic Johnson's public HIV positive disclosure correlated with changes in AIDS-related attitu... more Was Magic Johnson's public HIV positive disclosure correlated with changes in AIDS-related attitudes and behaviors of individuals on a college campus? Students surveyed witlrin two weeks of Johnson's disclosure (n = 125) were compared to matched samples tile semester before (n = 89) and after (n = 60) the announcement. We also monitored the circulation of books on AIDS at the campus library and pamphlets about AIDS taken from campus locations during this time period. After the announcement, students expressed more tolerance for people with AIDS and perceived their AIDS knowledge as higher. However, neither perceived susceptibility to HIV nor reports of safer sexual behavior increased. A short-lived increase in the numbers of pamphlets taken and books checked out was correlated with Johnson's announcement. Thus, interest in learning about AIDS and tolerance for people with AIDS increased, but there were no changes in personal risky behavior. Young adults have been targeted extensively for AIDs-preventive education. However, there is evidence that denial of personal susceptibility to the disease persists even as the incidence of HN infection increases among young, heterosexual adults. Data on college students indicate that they may suffer from a perception of "unique invulnerability" to HIV infection-that AIDS is something that happens only to people dissimilar from themselves We appreciate the assistance of Jennifer Gosnell, Russell Doles, Andrea Darrenkamp, and Brianne Reid in data collection and D. Ron Johnson's expertise in obtaining the library computer records. Deborah Haywood provided support for monitoring pamphlet-taking. Martha Jo Clemmons and Viola Simmons helped prepare the manuscript.
Pilgrim has contributed substantially to behavior analysis through her leadership, teaching, and ... more Pilgrim has contributed substantially to behavior analysis through her leadership, teaching, and research. She has served as president of its major organizations, including ABAI (as well as its Southeastern ABA chapter), the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis, and Division 25 (Behavior Analysis) of the American Psychological Association. She also served as secretary of the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and as a board member of that organization for 8 years. She has advanced the dissemination of behavior analysis and the vitality of its journals in her roles as chair of the Publication Board of ABAI, editor and associate editor of The Behavior Analyst, co-editor of the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin, and associate editor of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. She has served on the board of directors of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies and other organizations, and chaired numerous committees. Dr. Pilgrim is known, in addition, as a stellar teacher and mentor. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching and the ABAI Student Committee Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award. Dr. Pilgrim's research expertise and contributions traverse both basic experimental and applied behavior analysis. Her health-related research has brought behavior analysis to the attention of scientists and practitioners in cancer prevention, and she is noted for her innovative work on the development and modification of relational stimulus control in children and adults.
ABSTRACT Sidman and Tailby’s original definition of equivalence has been singularly influential i... more ABSTRACT Sidman and Tailby’s original definition of equivalence has been singularly influential in generating a vibrant conceptual, experimental, and applied analysis of essential behavior phenomena. At the same time, the equivalence literature is also characterized by studies indicating the emergence of patterns not directly captured by the standard equivalence definition. Research programs involving class-specific reinforcers, compound conditional or discriminative stimuli, simple discrimination training, and functional stimulus classes have all illustrated reliably emergent patterns predictable on the basis of equivalence-class formation, but which fail to meet the operational definitions of reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity. The paper asks whether considering an expanded definition of equivalence, inclusive of a range of interrelated emergent relations, might simultaneously facilitate our efforts to understand the equivalence process(es) and allow for greater application and adoption of these powerful teaching procedures.
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