Date of Award
6-1-2009
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Cynthia J. Pietras
Second Advisor
Dr. James E. Carr
Third Advisor
Dr. Scott Gaynor
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Anna Petursdottir
Abstract
The results of the present study extend the literature on multiple exemplar instruction (MEI) by demonstrating that MEI was ineffective in producing functional interdependence between listener and intraverbal categorization repertoires. Four typically developing children between the ages of 3 years 11 months and 4 years 7 months participated in the study in which two categorization types (listener and intraverbal) were targeted. Previous research has demonstrated functional independence between these two categorization response forms (Petursdottir, Carr, Lechago, & Almason, 2008). The present study examined the efficacy of MEI in the form of alternating categorization response forms (listener and intraverbal) during training in producing emergent intraverbal categorization responding after training listener categorization responses. For two participants for whom there was some evidence of functional interdependence between listener and intraverbal categorization repertoires, responding was variable. For the remaining two participants, 72 to 100 MEI training trials produced minimal improvement in responding or no functional interdependence at all. The results are discussed in terms of Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior and naming theory (Horne & Lowe, 1996).
Access Setting
Dissertation-Open Access
Recommended Citation
Lechago, Sarah A., "The Effects of Multiple Exemplar Instruction on Generating Functional Interdependence between Listener and Intraverbal Categorization Repertoires" (2009). Dissertations. 684.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/684