STIMULUS CONTROL & PROMPT FADING

Technician Training Overview

  • Focus on stimulus control and prompt fading.
  • Key learning areas include:
    • Types of prompts.
    • Goals of prompt fading.
    • Understanding stimulus control.
    • Procedures for prompt fading, particularly response prompts.

Types of Prompts

  • Prompts can be divided into two categories:
    • Response prompts
    • Stimulus prompts

Response Prompts

  • Defined as aids added to the response to help the client complete it correctly.
  • Examples include:
    • Physical prompts: Involves guiding the client physically.
    • Example: "Point to the one that barks. A dog barks."
    • Verbal instructions: Providing spoken guidance during the task.
    • Example: "You have to walk close. Remember? You're too far."
    • Modeling: Demonstrating the correct response.
    • Example: "That's putting the block next to the plate."

Stimulus Prompts

  • Defined as additional cues added to the stimulus to aid the client’s response.
  • Examples include:
    • Positional prompts: Moving the target stimulus closer to the client.
    • Example: Moving the yellow cup nearer to help in identifying it.
    • Movement prompts: Verbal instruction plus pointing.
    • Example: "Put the block next to the plate."
    • Redundancy: Exaggerating some features of the stimulus to assist the correct response.
    • Example: Enlarging the picture of an apple among others to help identify it.

Goals of Prompt Fading

  • Fade prompts efficiently and swiftly to allow client independence.
  • Ensure the client can respond correctly to the stimulus without aid.

Understanding Stimulus Control

  • A response is under stimulus control when:
    • It occurs more frequently in the presence of a specific stimulus than when it is absent.
    • Example: Checking text messages upon hearing the notification sound.
  • Stimuli exert control by predicting reinforcement, thus forming a learned response to specific cues.

Examples of Stimulus Control

  • Example 1: Responding to a phone buzz because it often leads to receiving messages.
  • Example 2: A child responds to "come here, please" only when accompanied by the teacher extending arms, indicating physical prompts affecting stimulus control.

Connection Between Prompting and Stimulus Control

  • Prompt fading allows the stimulus control to shift from prompts to naturally occurring stimuli.
  • Example of teaching to hang a coat:
    • Starting with a physical prompt (pointing) and gradually removing it until the child responds only to verbal instruction.

Prompt Fading Procedures for Response Prompts

  1. Most to Least Prompting

    • Start with the most intrusive prompt, gradually moving to less intrusive ones.
    • Example hierarchy: Manual guidance → Gesture → Model → No prompts.

  2. Least to Most Prompting

    • Begin with minimal prompts and increase as necessary.
    • Example hierarchy: No prompts → Model → Gesture → Physical prompt.

  3. Graduated Guidance

    • Varying physical prompts throughout the response according to client's independence level.
    • Types of physical prompts used include hand-over-hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder guidance.

  4. Time Delay

    • Two types of time delay:
      • Constant Time Delay: Set interval before using a prompt.
      • Progressive Time Delay: Incremental increase of delay based on client’s responses.

Summary of Prompting Methods

  • Prompt methods can be categorized as:
    • Response prompts: Operate directly on learner’s actions.
    • Stimulus prompts: Direct focus on the antecedent task stimuli.

Importance of Pre-Attending Skills

  • Pre-attending behaviors include:
    • Looking at materials, scanning the environment, listening to instructions, etc.
  • Necessary for establishing stimulus control before prompt procedures can be effectively implemented.

Factors Affecting Stimulus Control

  • Consistency in reinforcing correct responses in the presence of discriminative stimuli (SD).
  • Considerations of additional factors:
    • Stimulus salience: Prominence of stimulus affects instruction effectiveness.
    • Masking and overshadowing: Competing stimuli can detract from the evocation of response.
    • Rearranging the environment and amplifying instructionally relevant stimuli can improve learning.

Final Goal of Prompt Fading

  • Ensure students demonstrate target responses:
    • Independently and accurately in response to natural stimuli.
    • Convert prompt-dependent behavior to independently executed behavior by fading prompts systematically.
    • Utilize stimulus fading and shaping methods to transition stimulus control effectively.

Methods for Fading Stimulus Prompts

  • Stimulus Fading: Gradually enhance the stimulus dimension to increase correct responses.
    • Example: Enlarging a target image initially, later reducing to normal size.
  • Stimulus Shaping: Altering the configuration of the stimulus to raise the chance of correct responses.
    • Example: Modifying the way the word looks to appear similar to its real-world form before transitioning back.

Methods for Fading Response Prompts

  • Utilize: Most to least prompting, least to most prompting, graduated guidance, and time delay to shift stimulus control from prompts to natural stimuli effectively.