Abstract
Recent research demonstrated that when autistic children are presented a discrimination task with multiple cues, they typically respond to an abnormally limited number, usually one, of the available cues. This phenomenon, termed “stimulus overselectivity,” has been implicated as a possible basis for many of the behavioral deficits characteristic of autism. The present investigation was conducted to systematically analyze the effects of changing the schedules of reinforcement during discrimination training on subsequent stimulus overselectivity. Twelve autistic children were taught a discrimination involving multiple visual cues, with a CRF schedule of reinforcement. The children were then overtrained on either the same (CRF) schedule or on a partial (VR∶3) reinforcement schedule. Subsequent overselectivity on single-cue test trials was then assessed. Results suggested that significantly less overselectivity occurred when the children were presented with the VR∶3 reinforcement schedule during overtraining. These results are discussed in terms of variables influencing overselectivity and in terms of implications for designing treatment procedures for autistic children.
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This research was supported by USPHS Research Grants MH 28231 and MH 28210 from the National Institute of Mental Health and by U.S. Office of Education Research Grant G007802084 from the Bureau for the Education of the Handicapped. The authors wish to thank John Burke, Marjorie Charlop, and Julie Williams for their assistance in this research.
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Koegel, R.L., Schreibman, L., Britten, K. et al. The effects of schedule of reinforcement on stimulus overselectivity in autistic children. J Autism Dev Disord 9, 383–397 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531446
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531446