Rapid reduction of lengthy pausing during vocal responding by nonverbal retarded children

A standard methodology for the analysis, recording, and control of verbal behavior

“…By classifying each vocal response into one of these four categories, the researcher or clinician can immediately and contingently apply a predetermined consequence to any vocal response. For example, correct responses might always be reinforced, error responses might be placed on extinction, no responses might cause the therapist to select a different reinforcer, and inappropriate behavior, such as screaming, might produce a mild aversive consequence such as light dimming or facial screening (Drash, Murrin, Jordan, & Clark, 1985;Drash, Raver, Murrin, & Tudor, 1989;Singer, Pasnak, Baer, & Drash, 1978). In our research with language delayed children, these four operant response classes have been adequate to record and control any vocal response a subject may emit.…”

“…Although a human observer is currently the only "instrument" capable of differentially responding to subtle differences in vocal response topography (and providing consequences based on these differences), standard electromechanical devices may be adequate in less complex verbal behavior experiments. For example, in a previous study that evaluated the effects of reinforcement on rate of any vocalization (independent of topography), a voice activated relay served as the response operandum and responses were recorded and displayed on a cumulative recorder (Singer, Pasnak, Baer, & Drash, 1978). As computer technology for voice recognition improves, it is probable that the computer will serve as operandum in more complex verbal experiments.…”

“…The child had no functional speech, imitated only a few sounds and words, and emitted any vocal response to prompt less than fifty percent of the time. To increase rate of vocal response to prompt, a facial prompting technique was implemented that incorporated an escapeavoidance paradigm that had increased vocal response rate in other verbally delayed children (Drash, Raver, Murrin, & Tudor, 1989;Singer, Pasnak, Baer, & Drash, 1978). The following procedure was used.…”

“…An important question is whether rate of vocal response is a reliable dependent variable for use in verbal behavior research. Our research has demonstrated that rate of vocal response is highly sensitive to different reinforcement contingencies (Singer, Pasnak, Baer, & Drash, 1978). In this experiment we compared the effects of positive reinforcement alone to a procedure that combined positive reinforcement with a mild aversive contingency (light dimming) with retarded children as subjects.…”

“…This paper presents a methodology that may provide a partial solution to the need for a standard methodology for the recording, analysis and control of verbal behavior. This methodology is based on strategies and techniques that we have developed and used in our verbal behavior research, training, and treatment programs with language delayed children during the past twenty years (Drash, Caldwell, & Leibowitz, 1970;Drash & Leibowitz, 1973;Drash, Raver, Murrin, & Tudor, 1989;Drash & Shahan, 1988a, 1988b, 1990Singer, Pasnak, Baer, & Drash, 1978). In our research, this system of recording and analysis has proven extremely useful in producing functional language in developmentally delayed children.…”