Effects of Fluency-Based Teaching and Accuracy-Based Teaching on Contingency Adduction

The effects of fluency-based instruction and accuracy-based instruction on contingency adduction were assessed using an alternating treatments design. Stimulus equivalence tasks were used to measure contingency adduction. Stimulus classes were composed of arbitrary visual forms. One treatment condition consisted of teaching fast, fluent responding with mastery criteria that included both accuracy and speed. This condition provided learning experiences similar to those encountered when receiving precision teaching or fluency-based instruction. The other treatment condition consisted of teaching in a manner that required slow, constrained responding, with a mastery criterion that only included accuracy. This condition provided learning experiences similar to those encountered in a traditional classroom educational setting. After mastery criteria were met in either condition, contingency adduction was tested. The dependent variables were number of errors prior to contingency adduction, average errors by adduction complexity, total time in teaching trials prior to adduction, number of teaching blocks prior to mastery of adduction relation, number of adduction testing blocks prior to mastery, number of relations mastered in the first adduction testing block, and number of errors in adduction testing blocks prior to mastery. Results indicated that participants made more errors prior to contingency adduction in fluency-based teaching than in accuracy-based teaching. However, participants also took less total time in teaching trials prior to contingency adduction in fluency-based teaching than in accuracy-based teaching. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]