Transfer of stimulus function (TSF) involves the acquisition of an untaught response to a stimulus which previously evoked only a single taught response. We tested the effects of multiple exemplar instruction on the TSF across vocal and written spelling responses of 3 elementary students with autism. Participants were taught to spell 4 words (Set 1) either vocally or graphically. Untaught responses were probed. Then, participants were taught to spell 4 different words (Set 2) in the opposite topography. Following mastery, untaught responses to Set 1 were again probed. Finally, 4 novel words (Set 3) were taught in a single-response-topography (saying or writing) and the untaught topography was probed. Results showed correct untaught responses to Set 1 words and eme rgence of set 4.

We conducted 2 experiments on the effects of social attention versus token contingencies on the emission of verbal operants by preschoolers, with and without a disability diagnosis. Four participants, 3 females and 1 male, 3 to 4 years old, were selected to participate in Experiment 1 and 6 participants, 5 females and 1 male, 2 to 4 years old, in Experiment 2. Experiment 1 compared effects of the 2 contingencies on numbers of child-initiated tacts in 3 different settings using an alternating treatment design. Experiment 2, using a multielement design, compared the automated delivery of tokens versus adult attention on the percentage of peer-to-peer and adult conversational units. Participants in both experiments initiated more tacts with contingent social attention than with contingent tokens. Implications are that tacts and conversational units are maintained more by social reinforcers than nonsocial generalized conditioned reinforcers (i.e., tokens). Social control of tacts may be essential to social verbal behavior.

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