Observational learning and children with autism

Document Type

Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree

M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis

Date Completed

2013

First Committee Member

Ahearn, William H.

Second Committee Member

MacDonald, Rebecca

Third Committee Member

Karsten, Amanda

Abstract

"Observational learning is an important behavioral repertoire that is often absent in children with autism. Performance on five observational learning tasks was tested for two participants. One male and one female, ranging in age from 10.5 to 14.8 years, and diagnosed with autism participated in the study. It was found that they did not consistently demonstrate observational learning and were exposed to a teaching procedure. The dependent variable of the study was observational learning, defined as responding under conditions promoting positive consequences and not responding following a model of an action that was followed by a neutral or aversive consequence. The independent variable was a teaching package composed of establishing attending, imitation, delayed imitation and differential responding according to the consequence. The training involved variations of one of the tasks for which observational learning was not demonstrated during baseline. Training was implemented in multiple baseline fashion. Each participant acquired observational learning and the observational learning assessment was conducted again. Results of the assessment were used to determine whether additional training was necessary."

This document is available upon request to Western New England University faculty, students, and staff. Please contact D'Amour Library at dref@wne.edu for access.

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