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Reversal Learning Set and Functional Equivalence in Children with and Without Autism

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Abstract

To evaluate whether children with and without autism could exhibit (a) functional equivalence in the course of yoked repeated-reversal training and (b) reversal learning set, 6 children, in each of two experiments, were exposed to simple discrimination contingencies with three sets of stimuli. The discriminative functions of the set members were yoked and repeatedly reversed. In Experiment 1, all the children (of preschool age) showed gains in the efficiency of reversal learning across reversal problems and behavior that suggested formation of functional equivalence. In Experiment 2, 3 nonverbal children with autism exhibited strong evidence of reversal learning set and 2 showed evidence of functional equivalence. The data suggest a possible relationship between efficiency of reversal learning and functional equivalence test outcomes. Procedural variables may prove important in assessing the potential of young or nonverbal children to classify stimuli on the basis of shared discriminative functions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shriver Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 200 Trapelo Rd, Waltham, Massachusetts, 02452, USA

    Karen M. Lionello-DeNolf & William J. McIlvane

  2. Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Sao Carlos, Brazil

    Daniela S. Canovas & Deisy G. de Souza

  3. Universidade Federal do Pará, Belem, Brazil

    Romariz S. Barros

Authors
  1. Karen M. Lionello-DeNolf
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  2. William J. McIlvane
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  3. Daniela S. Canovas
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  4. Deisy G. de Souza
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  5. Romariz S. Barros
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karen M. Lionello-DeNolf.

Additional information

This research was supported by FAPESP/PRONEX Grant 2003/09928-4 and FAPESP Grant 06/55848-0 (Experiment 1), by CAPES BEX0640/03-4 and CNPq 201155/2004 (Experiment 2), and by NICHD grants HD 39816 and HD 04147 (Experiment 2).

We thank Lidia Postalli for her assistance in Experiment 1 and Camila Domeniconi, Sarah Luthern, Jeff Kilpatrick, and Kerrilyn Lacerte for their assistance in data collection for Experiment 2. Manuscript preparation was supported by HD 04666.

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Lionello-DeNolf, K.M., McIlvane, W.J., Canovas, D.S. et al. Reversal Learning Set and Functional Equivalence in Children with and Without Autism. Psychol Rec 58, 15–36 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395600

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