Document Type

Dissertation

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree

PhD in Behavior Analysis

Dissertation Defense Date

2014

First Committee Member

Thompson, Rachel H.

Second Committee Member

Hanley, Gregory P.

Third Committee Member

Karsten, Amanda M.

Additional Committee Member(s)

Palmer, David C.

Abstract

"Successful conversation requires that the speaker’s behavior is sensitive to the nonvocal responses of the listener. We evaluated the use of behavioral skills training (BST) in a multiple schedule to teach children with ASDs to respond to conversation partners’ non-vocal cues that they were uninterested in what the participant was saying. Participants were taught to tact non- vocal listener behavior as either interested or uninterested. In Experiment 1, participants were also taught, using BST, to ask a question when his or her listener was uninterested. In Experiment 2 another response, changing the topic, was also taught. Results showed that tact training was insufficient to improve responding aimed at regaining listener interest. Once the responses were taught using BST and contacted reinforcement in the form of regained listener attention, responding occurred at mastery criterion and under the stimulus control of the taught conditions. Responding was also shown to persist over time and changes in the stimulus conditions. Changes in responding were also deemed socially valid by blind observers. In Experiment 3, participants who had learned to ask a question or change the topic with an uninterested listener were exposed to extinction, and when necessary, these participants were taught to use the other response they had learned when their first attempt was ineffective at regaining listener interest. Results are discussed in terms of the benefits and limitations of the procedures for children with autism and the application of the procedures to other social skills."

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