Beyond generalization: Continuous repertoires ABA

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Beyond generalizationContinuous
repertoiresABA 3175/26/03900 -1020
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Teaching aims to establish more than what is
directly taught

• Making generalization effective
• Programming generalization
• Beyond generalization

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Misuse of the term generalization

• As an explanation
• As a redundant qualifier
• in conjunction with imitation and identity
  matching to sample
• As a designation of many different phenomena
• continuous repertoires

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Continuous repertoires

• Skinner (1953)
• . . . any unit of operant behavior is to a
  certain extent artificial. Behavior is the
  coherent, continuous activity of an integral
  organism. Although it may be analyzed into parts
  for theoretical or practical purposes, we need to
  recognize its continuous nature in order to solve
  certain common problems. (p. 116)

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Continuous repertoiresWildeman D. G. Holland
J. G. (1972).

• Control of a continuous response dimension by a
  continuous stimulus dimension. Journal of the
  Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 18, 419-434.

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Examples

• Imitation
• Drawing from copy
• Singing on key
• Visual joint attention skills
• (gaze following)

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Continuous fields Train 1
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Continuous fields Train 2
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Continuous fields Test 1
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Continuous fields Test 2
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The A-B-C of behavior analysis

• SD ?R ? SR

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Identifying instances of SD and R

• Skinner (1931) The reflex as a relation (S ?R)
• Skinner (1935) Classes of Ss and classes of Rs
• Catania (1973) Operant class -- correlation
  between descriptive and functional classes
• Discriminated operant class Descriptive vs.
  functional (cf. Wildemann/Holland results)

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When the basic SD?R relation breaks down

• a. SD ? R time delay
• b. SD ? R complexity

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Complex phenomena

• Largely left to cognitive psychology (memory,
  problem solving)
• Squeezed into the model (tacts, rule following)
• given a new name (relational frames)
• A third option Analysis in terms of the basic
  formula, filling the gaps by incorporating
  precurrent behavior

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RFT (S. Hayes, et al., 2001)

• In contrast to accounts in terms of naming or
  joint control, RFT can account for derived
  relations more directly. Naming, joint control, .
  . . and the like, can be viewed as aspects of
  specific kinds of relational responses given
  specific histories, but they are not necessary to
  the relational operant as such.

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RFT (S. Hayes, et al., 2001)

• Postulating such a mediating behavioral
• process seems not to be required in order to
• mount a behavior analytic research program
• into derived relational responding. . . . There
• is no immediate need to posit any additional
• behavioral processes behind that of a learned
• functional response class, based on multiple
• exemplars.

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Behavioral mediationStokes Baer, 2003

• Some problem classes require mediation for
  generalized correct solutions (p. 134)

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Mediating or precurrent responses(Palmer, 2002)

• What is the tenth letter after F? . . . If we
• restrict our consideration to just those
• responses that can be observed, the behavior
• of announcing the answer is puzzling.

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SD ? R distortions

• at the level of our observations, behavior
• does not seem to be related in an orderly
• way to environmental antecedents or
• consequences but seems to emerge
• from within the individual

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Precurrent behavior
N
I
M
J
H
O
K
L
P
G
(E), F. . .
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SD ? R complexity
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SD ? Precurrent behavior(e.g., counting)
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Degrees of SD ? R complexity

• Same dimension
• Rotated dimension
• Compound dimensional relations
• Arbitrarily related dimensions

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Same dimension
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Rotated dimension
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Compound dimensional relations
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Arbitrarily related dimensions

• Sound pitch

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Math problems

• 65 x 65
• 85 x 85
• 35 x 35
• 75 x 55
• 35 x 55
• 65 x 75
• 85 x 45
• 73 x 77

4225
7225
1225
4125
1925
4875
3825
5621
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Math problems 1

• 65 x 65

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Math problems 2

• 85 x 85

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Math problems 3

• 55 x 55

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Math problems 4

• 75 x 75

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Stokes Baer (2003)

• Mediated generalization appears to be a promising
  but as yet underdeveloped forefront for
  facilitating desired behavior change. As such, it
  represents an unfinished portrait in the
  analysis of generalization strategies

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Continuous repertoires- mosaics of increasing
texture

• lack of order inevitably arises when there are
  gaps in our data
• for cognitive behavior such gaps are common
• order is restored to the data by referring to
  plausible unobserved variables that fill in the
  gaps
• continuous repertoires of precurrent behavior
  should be considered to fill in important gaps