Valerie M. Volkert, Dorothea C. Lerman, Nicole Trosclair, Laura Addison, & Tiffany Kodak. (2008)
An exploratory analysis of task-interspersal procedures while teaching object labels to children with autism.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
41, 335-350.
Research has demonstrated that interspersing mastered tasks with new tasks facilitates learning
under certain conditions; however, little is known about factors that influence the effectiveness
of this treatment strategy. The initial purpose of the current investigation was to evaluate the effects
of similar versus dissimilar interspersed tasks while teaching object labels to children diagnosed
with autism or developmental delays. We then conducted a series of exploratory analyses involving
the type of reinforcer delivered for correct responses on trials with unknown or known object labels.
Performance was enhanced under the interspersal condition only when either brief praise was delivered
for all correct responses or presumably more preferred reinforcers were provided for performance on
known trials rather than on unknown trials.
DESCRIPTORS: autism, behavioral momentum, high-probability instructional sequence, interspersal procedures, reinforcer potency