Fauna (terrestre y acuática) 1. Interrupción de las rutas migratorias

As described earlier, a form taught in one function (mand or tact) is not typically emit- ted in an untaught function without specific

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early speakers (regardless of their age). However, since most typically developing chil- dren eventually acquire the capability of emitting both functions for one stimulus with- out direct instruction for doing so, there are certain experiences that appear to make this possible (Greer & Keohane, 2005). Recent evidence also suggests that the inde- pendence of mands and tacts for typically developing children may be short lived (Petursdottir, Carr, & Michaels, 2005) particularly if the instruction involves multiple exemplar training across speaker and listener responses at the outset. When individuals can emit both mand and tact responses to the same stimulus, they have the capability we identify as the transformation of establishing operations across mand and tact functions (Greer & Nirgudkar, & Park, 2003; Nirgudkar, 2005; Nuzzolo-Gomez & Greer, 2004). That is, speakers can respond to the establishing operations that occasion either a mand or tact response once they have leaned the form in one function. The process through which typically developing children acquire this capability is probably similar to the process through which they acquire other advanced verbal capabilities such as naming (Barnes-Holmes et al., 2001). That is, parents and caregivers provide and reinforce a sufficient number of experiences with both verbal functions until multiple responses to

the same stimulus occur (Novak & Pelaez, 2004). Multiple exemplar instruction with establishing operations attempts to simulate the probable experiences that work for typically developing children by rotating mand and tact opportunities for a subset of forms across the different establishing operations that control each function.

Begin this protocol by identifying several items that are functional but are not yet in the student's repertoire as mands or tacts. As with other instruction, these may include stimuli that are related to their curriculum (see Table 4.2). Divide materials into three sets of four stimuli each—one for mand probes, one for tact probes, and one for instruction.

Choose either the mand or tact function to probe for the presence of transformation of establishing operations. Teach one set of stimuli to mastery criterion in the target hinction (mand or tact) vising echoic-to-ta.ct or echoic-to-mand tvistrvic.- tional procedures. Rotate across stimuli during instruction, such that each stimulus is TABLE 4.2 Materials for Transformation of Establishing Operations

Participants A & B C S e t l Crayon Piece Paintbrush Glue Puzzle Car Tape Eraser Set 2 Pencil P e g M a r k e r Scissors Marker Button Glue Scissors Set 3 Sticker Vehicle Chalk Board Notebook Hole puncher Binder Clip

From Nirgudkar, A.S. (2005). The relative effects of the acquisition of naming and the multiple exemplar establish- (Doctoral dissertation, Columbia University, 2005.) A b s t r a c t f a m U m ? ^ ^

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presented five times during a 20 learn unit presentation. When students can reliably respond to target stimuli in the trained function (i.e., mands), then present the same stimuli to probe for their responses in the untrained function (i.e., tacts). If they do not achieve mastery criterion during probes for the untaught function, then they do not have the transformation of establishing operations in their repertoire; proceed to mul- tiple exemplar instruction across establishing operations to teach it as described next.

For a new set of stimuli, present a learn unit in one function using the echoic-to- tact or echoic-to-mand teaching procedures. Ensure that the relevant establishing operations are present as part of the antecedent. That is, for mands, the stimuli are

R E S E A R C H B O X 4.5

Transformation of Establishing

Operations

Researchers examined effects of multiple exemplar instruction across mand and tact functions for four preschool children who did not emit an untrained function after being taught another function during baseline. Results showed that multiple exem- plar instruction across mand and tact functions resulted in students emitting both mand and tact responses to a trained set, and emitting either the mand or tact func- tion without direct instruction when a novel set was introduced and trained. This study extended research on the independence of verbal operants, establishing opera- tions, and multiple exemplar instruction by identifying an instructional history that resulted in emergence of an untaught verbal function.

These results were replicated in:

Greer, R. D., Nirgudkar, A., & Park, H. (2003, June). The effect of multiple exemplar instruction on the transformation of mand and tact functions. Paper pre- sented at the annual international conference of the Association for Behavior Analysis, San Francisco, CA.

Lee Park, H. S. (2005). Multiple exemplar instruction and transformation of stimu- lus junction from auditory-visual matching to visual-visual matching. (Doctoral dis- sertation, Columbia University, 2005). Abstract from UMI Proquest Digital Dissertations [on-line]. Dissertations Abstracts Item: AAT 3174834.

See also:

Petursdottir, A. I., Carr, J. E., & Michaels, J. (2005). Emergence of mands and tacts among preschool children. Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 21, 59-74.

Nirgudkar, A. S. (2005). The relative effects of the acquisition of naming and the multiple exemplar establishing operation across mands and tacts (Doctoral disserta- tion, Columbia University, 2005). Abstract from UMI Proquest Digital Dis- sertations [on-line]. Dissertations Abstracts Item: AAT 3159751.

Nuzzolo-Gomez, R., & Greer, R. D. (2004). Emergence of untaught mands or tacts with novel adjective-object pairs as a function of instructional history. Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 24, 30^-7.

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under deprivation. For example, items such as pens, markers, or scissors may need to be presented in an interrupted chain in order to create an establishing operation for mands (i.e., during an arts and craft activity, the target items are unavailable to stu- dents unless they emit the appropriate mand). When the student emits a target form (echoic or non-echoic), immediately deliver the item, but do not praise their response (see echoic-to-mand teaching procedures).

In the next learn unit, make generalized reinforcers such as tokens (e.g., plastic discs) visible to the student. Show them the same stimulus that was presented in the mand learn unit and use echoic-to-tact teaching procedures to present the learn unit. For example, to teach a tact for scissors, say, "Scissors," wait three seconds for students to echo you, and reinforce their response with a token and praise. After two to three correct echoic learn units, shift to non-echoic learn units. Alternatively, students can learn from the learn unit correction instead of an immediate presentation of an echoic prompt. Record data on the same form used to teach mand and tacts (see Chapter 2). Rotate instruction across stimuli as well as across mand- and tact-establishing operations.

Continue multiple exemplar instruction until students can emit both mand and tact responses to all stimuli in the training set at mastery criterion. Return to the initial probe set to determine if they can emit the untaught function that they could not do before. If they cannot, teach another training set and return to the initial set that they could not do. If necessary, and if their accuracy is increasing, teach still a third set until they emit the untaught functions at 80% accuracy or better. To conduct post- instructional probes, use a novel untaught set of stimuli and a different function (i.e., set 3 stimuli for the function that was not probed before instruction), teach one func- tion to criterion, and then probe for the untaught function. If students can emit the untaught function, then they have the transformation of establishing operations. However, if they cannot, teach additional sets until the untaught function emerges. If it does not emerge after several sets, return to the basic teaching procedures for mands and tacts; assess students' prerequisite repertoires (see Chapters 2 and 7).

Naming

In Chapter 3, we described ways to induce the listener component of naming for chil- dren who lack speaker repertoires. After children have the speaker responses described thus far in Chapter 4, they may be ready to acquire the naming capability/When they do not have the basic speaker responses, use the procedures described in Chapters 3 and 4 to teach the listener component of naming, basic listener literacy, and the mand and tact operants. Once children have a speaker repertoire and have the listener capa- bilities outlined in Chapter 3, proceed to establishing the naming capability.

In the current section, we concentrate on providing a particular speaker-as-own- listener repertoire that has been termed naming (Home & Lowe, 1996). Full naming is the capacity to acquire a tact (pure or impure) and a listener response by simply hearing another person tact a stimulus. It also includes both the capacity for children to respond as listeners and speakers without direct instruction. That is, if someone points to a bird and says, "That's a blue bunting," a child can say, "That's a blue

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