The Differential Outcomes Effect: Teaching Verbal Operants
Michelle Olson, M.S, Mark Harvey, Ph.D, BCBAAnsley Hodges, M.S., BCBA, Eb Blakely, Ph.D, BCBA-D
Florida Institute of Technology and QuestKids
Typical Procedure
Differential Outcomes Procedure
Different reinforcers in a discrimination task, correlated with each kind of response
Increase rate of acquisition and/or maintain higher steady state performance
Differential Outcomes Effect
Lab Studies With Nonhumans:Variety of discrimination Paradigms
Two Choice Discrimination Experiments
Two-Choice Procedure: Correlated Outcomes
Light
Light
Two-Choice Control Procedure:Uncorrelated Outcomes
Light
Light
Two-Choice Control Procedure:Confound????
1. Two reinforcers2. Correlated outcomes
Food Food Food Water
DOETypical
Human Application: Correlated Outcomes
Human Application:Uncorrelated Outcomes
• Two boys with autism – 8 and 5 years old• QuestKids Academy –
Experiment 1: Extension to Verbal Operants
Experiment 1 Design
• Alternating Treatments
• Dependent Variable:– % correct of intraverbal responses
• Independent Variable:– Correlated vs. Uncorrelated outcomes
Baseline Procedure
General Treatment Procedure
Intraverbal Tasks
Correlated Task
Uncorrelated Task
Video
• Show video Clip
Santi: Intraverbals
Correlated Task
Uncorrelated Task
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BL Tx
Uncorrelated
Correlated
Maint
Results Experiment 1: Santi
Josh: Intraverbals
Correlated Task
Uncorrelated Task
Results Experiment 1: Josh
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Sessions
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BL Tx Maint
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Decreased # experimenters
Experiment 2: Extension to Intraverbals and Tacts
• Two different boys with autism both 8 years old
• QuestKids Academy –
Experiment 2
• Design:– Alternating Treatments– Multiple baseline across verbal operants
• Dependent Variable:– % correct responses– Note: 100% and 97%, IOA respectively
• Independent Variable:– Correlated vs. Uncorrelated outcomes
Caliel: Tacts
Correlated Task
Uncorrelated Task
Caliel: Intraverbals
Correlated Task
Uncorrelated Task
ResultsExperiment 2: Caliel
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100 Intraverbals
Perc
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BL Tx Maint
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Tacts
Sessions
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ect
Austin: Tacts
Correlated Task
Uncorrelated Task
Austin: Intraverbals
Correlated Task
Uncorrelated Task
ResultsExperiment 2: Austin
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Intraverbals
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Tacts
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Discussion of Austin
Why was uncorrelated more effective?
Correlated Task
Summary of Results
Participant Intraverbal (DOE)
Tact (DOE)
Santi
Josh
Caliel x
Austin x x
Discussion
• DOE procedure has promise in teaching verbal operants, especially intraverbals
• Task difficulty critical element
• Use when traditional procedures don’t work
Discussion
–Future Directions• Intraverbals replications • Recall / Comprehension (DTMS)• Different ages / abilities
Differential Outcomes Effect
Match-to-Sample
Traditional Discrimination Training
Assay: Match-to-sample
Sample stimulus
Choice stimuli
Food Food
DOE Procedure
Sample stimulus
Food Drink
DOE Procedure
Sample stimulus
Food Drink
DOE Control Procedures
Sample stimulus
.5 Food/.5 Drink
.5 Food/.5 Drink
Uncorrelated
Sample stimulus
Food Drink
Correlated
DOE Procedure: Application
A B
SD: “Point to A”
Candy Soda
SD: “Point to B”
Academic Tasks
DOE Procedure: Application
“Sandwich”
“My friend Will”
SD: “What did you just eat?”
Candy Soda
SD: “Who did you just talk to?”
Recall Tasks
Exercises
The DOE is an effect in which different _________ are used for different ________ in a discrimination task.
What is the proper control procedure in a DOE study?
Pick a task that you are teaching, and design a DOE procedure for it.