Assessment and Establishment of Same/Different Judgments in Individuals with Autistic Disorder : Toward a Paradigm for Analyzing and Assisting Relational Concepts

Abstract

Examined the establishment of same/different judgments, considered to be the first step in relational concepts, in 2 boys with autistic disorder. Ss were 2 male children (12.5 and 7.6 yrs; mental age 6.5 and 3.4 yrs) with autistic disorder in Japan. Component analyses of same/different judgments were carried out by expansion of the Stimulus Equivalence paradigm. Through these analyses, 4 tasks requiring same/different judgments were identified. Ss were trained in 1 of 4 tasks. In the training, Ss were instructed to match the printed words "same " or "different" to 2 pictures that they had constructed. The results show: (1) that the target response in "same" trials was maintained by positive reinforcement, whereas the target response in "different" trials was maintained by negative reinforcement; (2) that after training with 1 stimulus set, 1 S could generalize the same/different judgments across 5 other stimulus sets and 3 other tasks; and (3) that the other S could generalize the judgments across 3 other stimulus sets and 3 other tasks after training with 3 stimulus sets. Expanding the Stimulus Equivalence paradigm for analyzing and assisting relational concepts is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)