Further analysis of picture interference when teaching word recognition to children with autism

Previous research indicates that pairing pictures with associated words when teaching sight-word reading may hinder acquisition (e.g., Didden, Prinsen, & Sigafoos, 2000; Singh & Solman, 1990; Solman & Singh, 1992). The purpose of the current study was to determine whether this phenomenon was due to a previously learned association between the spoken word and picture (i.e., blocking) or due to the mere presence of a picture as an extrastimulus prompt (i.e., overshadowing). Three participants were taught to recognize words that were presented alone or paired with pictures that the participants either could or could not identify prior to training. All participants learned the words more quickly when they were presented alone rather than with pictures, regardless of their prior learning history with respect to pictures representing the words. This finding is consistent with the phenomenon of overshadowing. Nonetheless, consistent with blocking, all participants also acquired the words presented alone more quickly if they could not identify the associated pictures prior to training. Together, these findings have important implications for using prompts when teaching skills to individuals with developmental disabilities.     

Tactile orientation constancy: Do proprioception and attention affect the tactile vertical?1

Abstract: Tactile vertical, defined as the edge orientation that participants perceive to be vertical, was examined in four experiments. In Experiment 1, we touched the participants’ cheek, lips, or hand with an edge and asked them to judge its orientation with regard to gravitational vertical, both when the stimulated body part was upright (or, in the case of the lips, aligned), and when it was tilted (lips, distorted). We found that when the head or hand was tilted forward 30°, or when the lower lip was distorted approximately 38° to the left or right, the tactile vertical shifted in the same direction by only a fraction (8.7, 8.6, and 36.3% for the cheek, lips, and hand, respectively) of the change in orientation of the stimulated region. The results indicated considerable, but usually incomplete, orientation constancy. In Experiment 2, we measured tactile vertical on the hand for forward tilts from 0° to 45°. We found that as the hand was tilted, the tactile vertical increasingly shifted in the same direction as the hand (i.e., a tactile Aubert effect). In Experiment 3, the effect of attentional focus on tactile vertical was examined by comparing the tactile vertical of participants who attended to body‐centered coordinates, and others who attended to gravitation‐centered coordinates. We found that focusing on body‐centered coordinates caused a decrease in orientation constancy. We sought to examine the role of attention further in Experiment 4, measuring tactile vertical on the cheek of persons with temporomandibular disorders. Compared with normal participants, these participants displayed significantly lower constancy. The results were accounted for by a narrowing of attention to painful signals, so that proprioceptive information was attended to less. In conclusion, the degree of tactile orientation constancy that participants demonstrate varies as a function of body site and attentional focus.     

触觉空间精确性与触觉神经元密度相关联的验证

本研究应用栅栏定向任务,通过对小学一年级儿童和大学生的触觉敏感性的比较,验证触觉敏感性与神经元密度的关系。结果表明：对较大的易于分辨的刺激,成人可以完成得较好,而对较细小的难于分辨的刺激,儿童成绩更好。本研究验证了高感受单元密度对应较强的触觉敏感性的假设。     

SOME DIRECT AND GENERALIZED EFFECTS OF REPLACING AN AUTISTIC MAN'S ECHOLALIA WITH CORRECT RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS

We extended the use of operant procedures to decrease immediate echolalia and increase the appropriate responding to questions of a 21-year-old autistic man. Three experiments were conducted in which the overall plan was to (a) encourage the subject to remain quiet before, during, and after the presentation of questions and (b) teach him to use environmental cues (i.e., word cards or a model's responses) to increase the likelihood of responding correctly. Multiple baseline designs demonstrated that echolalia was rapidly replaced with correct stimulus-specific responses. In addition, there were a variety of generalized improvements in the subject's verbal responses to questions. The procedures and results are contrasted to previous research in an attempt to explain the encouraging findings.     

BRIEF EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF STIMULUS PROMPTS FOR ACCURATE RESPONDING ON ACADEMIC TASKS IN AN OUTPATIENT CLINIC

Brief multielement designs were used to examine the effects of specific instructional strategies on accuracy of academic performance during outpatient evaluations of 4 children with learning disorders. Instructional strategies that improved accuracy on academic tasks were identified for all participants. These results suggest that the application of experimental analysis methodologies to instructional variables may facilitate the identification of stimulus prompts that are associated with enhanced academic performance.     

EFFECTS OF PICTURE PROMPTS ON THE ACQUISITION OF COMPLEX VOCATIONAL TASKS BY MENTALLY RETARDED ADOLESCENTS

The effects of using picture prompts on the acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of complex vocational tasks were evaluated within a multiple baseline design across subjects and tasks. Five moderately and severely mentally retarded adolescents were first trained to use picture prompts to guide their performance on one or more complex tasks. Following training, posttesting with and without the picture prompts was conducted to evaluate the effects of training and to determine maintenance effects over a 2- to 4-week interval. Generalization of performance across tasks was assessed with three of the students who were provided novel tasks (with and without picture prompts) without training. Results indicated that picture prompts can be successfully used to promote both acquisition and generalization of performance, and that subsequent training time on a novel task was reduced when the use of picture prompts had been previously trained.     

不同感觉功能对抑郁的影响及其神经机制

大脑通过视觉、听觉、嗅觉、味觉和触觉等感官通道接收来自外界的信息。不同感觉功能受损涉及抑郁发生的中枢机制,而基于不同感官通道进行适当刺激以及多感官联合干预也可能发挥显著的抑郁治疗作用。笔者以症状-脑区-机制-治疗为逻辑主线,首次系统梳理了五种主要感觉障碍人群的抑郁临床症状、抑郁神经机制以及基于感觉刺激的抗抑郁治疗。结果表明,不同感觉功能障碍对抑郁相关神经机制的影响可能表征了不同的抑郁病理,涉及神经元电活动(某些神经元放电和神经环路激活等)和神经生化改变(神经可塑性和神经发生、炎症免疫和HPA轴、神经激素和神经递质等),且主要发生在边缘系统及其附近脑区,涉及岛叶、颞叶、额叶等。因此,未来研究可聚焦于机体对不同感觉信息的提取,这将为人类抑郁的病因和治疗提供新的研究视角。     

Motivating signage prompts safety belt use among drivers exiting senior communities

Senior drivers are vulnerable to automobile crashes and subsequent injury and death. Safety belts reduce health risks associated with auto crashes. Therefore, it is important to encourage senior drivers to wear safety belts while driving. Using an AB design, replicated five times, we evaluated the short- and long-term effects of a sign with the message "BUCKLE UP, STAY SAFE" attached to a stop sign at the exits of five different senior communities. Safety belt use was stable during two pretreatment assessments averaged across the five sites and 250 drivers (72% and 68% usage), but significantly increased following installation of these signs (94% usage). Six months after installation of the signs, the effect persisted (88% usage). Use of such signs may be a cost-effective way of promoting safety belt use.     

The effectiveness of contingency-specific and contingency-nonspecific prompts in controlling bathroom graffiti

This study replicates and extends the work of Watson (1996) in which a sign eliminated graffiti when posted on bathroom walls. The present study investigated the effects of three different signs on walls in six men's bathrooms located on a university campus. Posting the signs was followed by the elimination or sharp reduction of graffiti. Removal of the signs was followed by a resurgence of graffiti.