Abstract
Research has found equivalence-based instruction (EBI) to be effective and efficient, with recent research extending these finding to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). EBI has also been compared with more traditional approaches to teaching, such as traditional lectures, reading assignments, and video lectures. However, the authors are unaware of any comparisons of EBI to other similar behavior analytic approaches such as discrete trial teaching (DTT). The purpose of the first experiment was to compare EBI to progressive DTT using an adapted alternating treatments design with typically developing adults. Experiment 2 compared the two teaching methods with children diagnosed with ASD. The teaching approaches were evaluated with respect to mastery of trained relations, emergence of untrained relations for the EBI condition, and participant preferences. Results of the two experiments found that both teaching methods were effective, progressive DTT was found to be more efficient for six participants, EBI was found to be more efficient for two participants, and overall progressive DTT was found to be more preferred by participants.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albarran, S. A., & Sandbank, M. P. (2019). Teaching non-target information to children with disabilities: An examination of instructive feedback literature. Journal of Behavioral Education, 28, 107–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-018-9301-3
Arntzen, E., & Holth, P. (2000). Equivalence outcome in single subjects as a function of training structure. The Psychological Record, 50, 603–628. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395374
Brodsky, J., & Fienup, D. (2018). Sidman goes to college: A meta-analysis of equivalence-based instruction in higher education. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 41(1), 95–119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-018-0150-0
Cihon, J. H., Ferguson, J. L., Milne, C. M., Leaf, J. B., McEachin, J., & Leaf, R. (2019). A preliminary evaluation of a token system with a flexible earning requirement. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12(3), 548–556. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-018-00316-3
Cihon, J. H., Ferguson, J. L., Leaf, J. B., Milne, C. M., Leaf, R., & McEachin, J. (2020). A randomized clinical trial of three prompting systems to teach tact relations. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53(2), 727–743. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.617
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.
Dixon, M. R., Belisle, J., Stanley, C. R., Daar, J. H., & Williams, L. A. (2016). Derived equivalence relations of geometry skills in students with autism: An application of the PEAK-E curriculum. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 32, 38–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-016-0051-9
Dixon, M. R., Stanley, C., Belisle, J., Galliford, M. E., Alholail, A., & Schmick, A. M. (2017). Establishing derived equivalence relations of basic geography skills in children with autism. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 33, 290–295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-017-0084-8
Dunn, D. M. (2019). Peabody picture vocabulary test (5th ed.). Pearson Assessments.
Ferguson, J. L., Milne, C. M., Cihon, J. H., Dotson, A., Leaf, J. B., McEachin, J., & Leaf, R. (2020). An evaluation of estimation data collection to trial-by-trial data collection during discrete trial teaching. Behavioral Interventions, 35(1), 178–191. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.1705
Ferman, D. M., Reeve, K. F., Vladescu, J. C., Albright, L. K., Jennings, A. M., & Domanski, C. (2020). Comparing stimulus equivalence-based instruction to a video lecture to increase religious literacy in middle-school children. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13, 360–374. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00355-4
Fienup, D. M., & Critchfield, T. S. (2011). Transportability of equivalence based programmed instruction: Efficacy and efficiency in a college classroom. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44(3), 435–450. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2011.44-435
Fienup, D. M., Covey, D. P., & Critchfield, T. S. (2010). Teaching brain-behavior relations economically with stimulus equivalence technology. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 43(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2010.43-19
Fisher, W., Piazza, C. C., Bowman, L. G., Hagopian, L. P., Owens, J. C., & Slevin, I. (1992). A comparison of two approaches for identifying reinforcers for persons with severe and profound disabilities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25(2), 491–498. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1992.25-491
Geiger, K. B., LeBlanc, L. A., Dillon, C. M., & Bates, S. L. (2010). An evaluation of preference for video and in vivo modeling. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 43(2), 279–283. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2010.43-279
Ghezzi, P. M. (2007). Discrete trials teaching. Psychology in the Schools, 44(7), 667–679. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20256
Hanley, G. P. (2010). Toward effective and preferred programming: A case of the objective measurement of social validity with recipients of behavior-change programs. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 3(1), 13–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03391754
LaFrance, D. L., & Tarbox, J. (2020). The importance of multiple exemplar instruction in the establishment of novel verbal behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53(1), 10–24. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.611
Leaf, J. B., Cihon, J. H., Leaf, R., McEachin, J., & Taubman, M. (2016). A progressive approach to discrete trial teaching: Some current guidelines. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(2), 361–372.
Leaf, J. B., Cihon, J. H., Ferguson, J. L., McEachin, J., Leaf, R., & Taubman, M. (2018). Evaluating three methods of stimulus rotation when teaching receptive labels. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 11(4), 334–349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-018-0249-5
Ma, M. L., Miguel, C. F., & Jennings, A. M. (2016). Training intraverbal naming to establish equivalence class performances. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 105(3), 409–426. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.203
Martin, N. A., & Brownell, R. (2011). Expressive one-word picture vocabulary test (4th ed.). Academic Therapy Publications.
McLay, L. K., Sutherland, D., Church, J., & Tyler-Merrick, G. (2013). The formation of equivalence classes in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A review of the literature. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 7(2), 418–431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2012.11.002
Nottingham, C. L., Vladescu, J. C., DeBar, R. M., Deshais, M., & DeQuinzio, J. (2020). The influence of instructive feedback presentation schedule: A replication with children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.706
Nussenbaum, K., Amso, D., & Markant, J. (2017). When increasing distraction helps learning: Distractor number and content interact in their effects on memory. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 79, 2606–2619. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-017-1399-1
O’Neill, J., Rehfeldt, R. A., Ninness, C., Muñoz, B. E., & Mellor, J. (2015). Learning Skinner’s verbal operants: Comparing an online stimulus equivalence procedure to an assigned reading. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 31(2), 255–266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-015-0035-1
Rehfeldt, R. A. (2011). Toward a technology of derived stimulus relations: An analysis of articles published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1992–2009. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44(1), 109–119. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2011.44.109
Sidman, M. (1971). Reading and auditory-visual equivalences. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 14(1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.1401.05
Simon, J. L., Morris, E. K., & Smith, N. G. (2017). Trends in women’s participation at the meetings of the Association for Behavior Analysis: 1975–2005. The Behavior Analyst Today, 30(2), 181–196. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03392154
Sindelar, P. T., Rosenberg, M. S., & Wilson, R. J. (1985). An adapted alternating treatments design for instructional research. Education and Treatment of Children, 8(1), 67–76.
Soluaga, D., Leaf, J. B., Taubman, M., McEachin, J., & Leaf, R. (2008). A comparison of flexible prompt fading and constant time delay for five children with autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2(4), 753–765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2008.03.005
Stanley, C. R., Belisle, J., & Dixon, M. R. (2018). Equivalence-based instruction of academic skills: Application to adolescents with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 51(2), 352–359. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.446
Toussaint, K. A., Kodak, T., & Vladescu, J. C. (2016). An evaluation of choice on instructional efficacy and individual preferences among children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 49(1), 170–175. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.263
Wechsler, D. (2012). Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence–Technical manual and interpretive manual (4th ed.). Pearson Assessments.
Wesolowski, M. D. (2002). Pioneer profiles: An interview with Don Baer. The Behavior Analyst Today, 25(2), 135–150. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03392053
Wolf, M. M. (1978). Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis is finding its heart. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11(2), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1978.11-203
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Ethical approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the studies.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ferguson, J.L., Cihon, J.H., Majeski, M.J. et al. Toward Efficiency and Effectiveness: Comparing Equivalence-based Instruction to Progressive Discrete Trial Teaching. Behav Analysis Practice 15, 1296–1313 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-022-00687-8
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-022-00687-8