Abstract
Stimulus over-selectivity occurs when one aspect of the environment controls behavior at the expense of other equally salient aspects. Participants were trained on a match-to-sample (MTS) discrimination task. Levels of over-selectivity in a group of children (4–18 years) with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) were compared with a mental-aged matched typically-developing group. There was more over-selectivity in the ASD group. When retention intervals were added between the sample and comparisons in the MTS task, both groups showed an increased level of over-selectivity, with the ASD group showing a more pronounced effect.
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Acknowledgment
I would like to acknowledge the kind participation of the children in this research, and we thank them very much for their time and involvement. Thanks are also due to the parents of the children who kindly participated, and to Lisa A. Osborne for her support.
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Reed, P. Brief Report: The Effect of Delayed Matching to Sample on Stimulus Over-Selectivity. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 1515–1519 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1374-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1374-y