Chapter 10

Question 1

Define fading and give an example of it.

Answer 1

The fading is the gradual change over successive trials of an antecedent stimulus that controls a response so that the response eventually occurs to a partially changed or completely new stimulus.
- Example: Parents are likely to fade out their help and support when a child is learning to walk or to ride a bicycle; A dance instructor might use less and less hand pressure to guide a student through new dance steps.

Question 2

Define errorless discrimination training.

Answer 2

The errorless discrimination training is the use of a fading procedure to establish a stimulus discrimination so that no errors occur.

Question 3

What is meant by a dimension of a stimulus? Give an example.

Answer 3

A dimension of a stimulus is any characteristic that can be measured on some continuum. Fading occurs along dimensions of stimuli.
- Example: The pressure of a teacher’s hand that guides a child’s printing

Question 4

What do we mean by final target stimulus? Give an example.

Answer 4

End fading program with a stimulus that creates a target response but already includes some aspect of the situation that the learner will encounter in the natural environment.
- Example: Make Peter (a child) saying his name when asked; start with “What’s your name? – Peter” then fade “Peter” over time, so that “What’s your name?” is the final target stimulus.

Question 5

What do we mean by starting stimulus? Give an example.

Answer 5

At the beginning of a fading program you have to select a starting stimulus that reliably evokes the desired behavior.
- Example: Make Peter (a child) saying his name when asked; starting stimulus; say very softly “What’s your name?” they say loud “Peter” – saying “Peter” loud prompts the child to say Peter.

Question 6

Define the four major categories of teacher-behavior prompts. Give an example of each.

Answer 6

Physical prompts consist of guiding the learning through touch.
- Example: Holding child’s hand while teaching him to walk
Gestural prompts are certain motions that a teacher makes.
- Example: Pointing to the correct cue or making signals directed to the learner without touching him or her.
Modeling prompts occur when the correct behavior is demonstrated.
- Example: Swimming coach models the correct arm movements for the freestyle stroke for young swimmers.
Verbal prompts are verbal hints or cues.
- Example: A driving instructor might use verbal prompts by telling a student driver to “check over your left shoulder before pulling out”.

Question 7

Define within-stimulus prompt, and give an example that is not from this chapter. Does your example involve a teacher-behavior prompt or an environmental prompt?

Answer 7

A variation of the SD or the SΔ to make their characteristics more noticeable and therefore easier to discriminate.
- Example: larger sized crayons for children who are just beginning to color. The larger size would be used for a child to get a handle on how to hold the crayon and then the regular sized crayon would be put in when a child has control of the larger sized crayon. This would be an environmental prompt

Question 8

Define extra-stimulus prompt, and give an example that is not from this chapter. Does your example involve a teacher-behavior prompt or an environmental prompt?

Answer 8

Something that is added to the environment to make a correct response more likely.
- Example: a child is doing a puzzle and the parents provide an extra-stimulus prompt by drawing out the lines of the pieces onto a piece of paper. The child would then have to match the piece to the outline. This would an environmental prompt