title: Reducing stimulus overselectivity through an increased observing-response requirement.
abstract: An adult with autism and a mild intellectual disability participated in a 0-s delayed matching-to-sample task. In each trial, two sample stimuli were presented together until the participant completed an observing-response requirement consisting of 1 or 10 mouse clicks in the baseline and experimental phases, respectively. One of the two sample stimuli then appeared randomly as a comparison stimulus (S+), along with two other comparison stimuli (S-). Higher levels of correct responding occurred under the larger observing-response requirement, and the proportion of errors related to one of the two sample stimuli decreased. Thus, stimulus overselectivity was reduced without requiring differential observing responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of Charleston, South Carolina 29424, USA. doughtya@cofc.edu
authors.forename: Adam H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Doughty
authors.forename: Michelle N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Hopkins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology