Abstract
Equivalence-based instruction (EBI) has been utilized to teach a number of college-level academic concepts. The majority of these studies measured effectiveness with selection-based responding (i.e., multiple-choice questions). Recently, researchers have begun examining effectiveness using topographical responding, or responding to open-ended questions. In the current study, participants learned neuroanatomy concepts through section-based EBI, and we measured the effects of instruction on both selection-based and topographical responding. Following equivalence class formation, participants responded with higher accuracy to both selection-based and topographical questions compared to baseline. Furthermore, participants demonstrated higher levels of accuracy with selection-based questions than topographical questions. As a measure of social validity, topographical responding was assessed by a neuroscience professor who was naïve to the study. Results demonstrated a typical grade distribution for topographical responding. Implications and future directions for EBI studies evaluating topographical responding are discussed.
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Acknowledgments
This research was conducted at Queens College, CUNY, as part of the first author’s requirements for a doctoral degree in behavior analysis through the Graduate Center, CUNY. We thank Drs. Emily Jones and Peter Sturmey for constructive comments about the study. We also thank Dr. Joshua Brumberg, who aided us in developing neuroanatomy curriculum for this study, and Dr. Carolyn Pytte, for providing feedback on test performance.
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Reyes-Giordano, K., Fienup, D.M. Emergence of Topographical Responding Following Equivalence-Based Neuroanatomy Instruction. Psychol Rec 65, 495–507 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-015-0125-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-015-0125-4