RESTRICTED CONTROL IN A TASK OF MATCHING TO SAMPLE WITH WORDS AND SYLLABLE: EVALUATION OF THE PERFORMANCE OF A CHILD WITH AUTISM

Abstract

The aims of the present study were (1) identifying restricted stimuli control at performance of an autistic sixyear-old-boy in a matching-to-sample task (MTS) that used syllables and words as stimuli and (2) assessing a procedure, known as differential observing response (DOR), which not allowed the child to respond to a comparison stimuli based on just one syllable of the word presented as model. Pre-tests sessions were conducted with simultaneous or delay MTS tasks with syllables and words. The accuracy on intermediate levels in DMTS word/syllables or in SMTS word/word indicated that the participant chose based on one of the syllables of the sample stimulus, but not based on both of them. The analysis of the errors showed that, usually, the participant responded under control of the first syllable, choosing a word, presented as a comparison, which contained the first syllable of the model. Accuracy at the baseline was compared with the precision in a task that required that participant’s responses were based, in separated trials, on both syllables of the compound stimulus. The results indicated that, during the DMTS procedure with SMTS word/word trials, the restricted control wasn’t completely reduced. However, with the return to the baseline, there was improvement in the participant’s performance, indicating a decrease of restricted control and changes in the pattern of error.Key-words: restricted stimulus control, observing response; matching-to-sample; autism.