title: Generalized action-object verbal instruction-following by profoundly mentally retarded adults.
abstract: The acquisition of generalized action-object instruction-following by three profoundly mentally retarded adults was investigated. Each subject was taught to follow seven verbal instructions in a stairstep diagonal progression through a 4 X 4 matrix of actions and objects. Probes monitored the occurrence of generalized action-object instruction-following responses within a multiple baseline design. As subjects were taught action-object responses, they responded to novel, untrained instructions that were comprised by recombining previously learned actions and objects. Prior matrix-training language research was systematically replicated, and findings were extended to profoundly retarded adults.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005794:Generalization, Response; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D014706:Verbal Learning