An Experimental Analysis of Verbal Behavior: Effects of Distracting Auditory Content on Measures of Responding in a Math Task
Mentor 1
Tiffany Kodak
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
27-4-2018 1:00 PM
Description
The purpose of the current study was to examine the function of mediating verbal behavior in promoting accurate and efficient responding in an arithmetic task. Undergraduate students served as participants in this study. Participants were given a simple three-numeral addition problem to solve. The problem was presented vocally in some trials and vocally and visually in other trials. During a one-minute response interval for two-thirds of the trials, an auditory stimulus was initiated that contained random numbers (Numbers condition) or a brief story (Passages condition). If the participant did not emit a correct response, they were asked to ‘try again’ until the correct response was emitted or one minute passed. Across conditions, we measured (a) mean accuracy of responses, and (b) mean latency to correct responses. In visual stimulus trials, mean correct responses and latency to a correct response were relatively similar across conditions. In trials with no visual stimulus, correct responses were reached most often in control conditions, and least often in the numbers condition. Also, in trials with no visual stimulus, the latency to a correct response was highest in the numbers condition, and lowest in the control. These results show that attending to one’s own mediating verbal behavior promotes accuracy and efficiency in arithmetic tasks. Such attending may be a prerequisite skill in the development of complex verbal repertoires (e.g., adding, reading comprehension). Future research may include participants’ accurate responding in a lag procedure.
An Experimental Analysis of Verbal Behavior: Effects of Distracting Auditory Content on Measures of Responding in a Math Task
Union Wisconsin Room
The purpose of the current study was to examine the function of mediating verbal behavior in promoting accurate and efficient responding in an arithmetic task. Undergraduate students served as participants in this study. Participants were given a simple three-numeral addition problem to solve. The problem was presented vocally in some trials and vocally and visually in other trials. During a one-minute response interval for two-thirds of the trials, an auditory stimulus was initiated that contained random numbers (Numbers condition) or a brief story (Passages condition). If the participant did not emit a correct response, they were asked to ‘try again’ until the correct response was emitted or one minute passed. Across conditions, we measured (a) mean accuracy of responses, and (b) mean latency to correct responses. In visual stimulus trials, mean correct responses and latency to a correct response were relatively similar across conditions. In trials with no visual stimulus, correct responses were reached most often in control conditions, and least often in the numbers condition. Also, in trials with no visual stimulus, the latency to a correct response was highest in the numbers condition, and lowest in the control. These results show that attending to one’s own mediating verbal behavior promotes accuracy and efficiency in arithmetic tasks. Such attending may be a prerequisite skill in the development of complex verbal repertoires (e.g., adding, reading comprehension). Future research may include participants’ accurate responding in a lag procedure.
