title: Matching-to-sample assessment of stimulus overselectivity in students with intellectual disabilities.
abstract: A delayed matching-to-sample task with multiple sample stimuli was used to evaluate stimulus overselectivity in 70 individuals attending residential special-education schools. A Mental Age Equivalent score (MAE) was obtained for each student using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Twenty-one participants failed to complete matching-to-sample pretests (mean MAE = 3.70 years). Results on the multiple-sample test for the remaining 49 participants indicated no overselectivity for 14 students (mean MAE = 7.44 years) and were consistent with overselectivity for 35 students (mean MAE = 5.28 years). Performances of students with overselectivity were more variable than those with no overselectivity. The MAE scores were related to both matching-to-sample performance and stimulus overselectivity.
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts Medical School, Shriver Center, Waltham, MA 02452, USA.
authors.forename: Chata A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Dickson
authors.forename: Curtis K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Deutsch
authors.forename: Sharon S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: William V
authors.initials: WV
authors.lastname: Dube
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D004495:Education of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities; D005260:Female; D005600:Fragile X Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D012016:Reference Values; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior