Title
Reversal learning set and functional equivalence in children with and without autism
UMMS Affiliation
Shriver Center
Date
1-1-2008
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Autistic Disorder; Discrimination Learning; Reversal Learning
Disciplines
Mental and Social Health | Neuroscience and Neurobiology | Psychiatry and Psychology
Abstract
To evaluate whether children with and without autism could exhibit (a) functional equivalence in the course of yoked repeated-reversal training and (b) reversal learning set, 6 children, in each of two experiments, were exposed to simple discrimination contingencies with three sets of stimuli. The discriminative functions of the set members were yoked and repeatedly reversed. In Experiment 1, all the children (of preschool age) showed gains in the efficiency of reversal learning across reversal problems and behavior that suggested formation of functional equivalence. In Experiment 2, 3 nonverbal children with autism exhibited strong evidence of reversal learning set and 2 showed evidence of functional equivalence. The data suggest a possible relationship between efficiency of reversal learning and functional equivalence test outcomes. Procedural variables may prove important in assessing the potential of young or nonverbal children to classify stimuli on the basis of shared discriminative functions.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: Psychol Rec. 2008 Jan 1;58(1):15-36. Link to article on publisher's site
