Assessing generative braille responding following training in a matching-to-sample format

Putnam et al. (2016) taught sighted college students to match braille dots to printed letters. They used a simple matching-to-sample format on a computer. No one learned to feel braille; they only saw it on a screen.

After the matching lessons, the team tested three new skills the students had never practiced: writing braille by hand, copying braille onto a worksheet, and reading braille out loud.

Every student could write, copy, and read braille after only the matching lessons. These skills appeared without any extra teaching. The study showed that matching-to-sample alone can create full braille literacy in adults who can see.

This is a clear case of generative learning: a few taught relations produced many untaught responses.

Hayashi et al. (2013) saw the same emergent leap with preschoolers. After kids learned to pick letters when they heard the name, most started saying the letter names on their own. Both studies show that stimulus equivalence training can create new literacy skills without direct practice.

Dixon et al. (2018) pushed this idea further with children. They taught kids to unscramble sight words, and the children could suddenly unscramble brand-new words in full sentences. Putnam et al. (2016) is the adult version: matching-to-sample creates brand-new braille skills.

Curiel et al. (2020) used a different method—matrix training—and also got generative learning. Adults with disabilities learned 12 clock times, then correctly told about 50 % of 132 new times. Both studies prove that a small set of trained items can unlock a much larger set of untaught responses, whether you use matching-to-sample or matrix training.

You can use matching-to-sample to build whole new skill sets, not just single responses. If you want a client to write, copy, or read braille, start with simple matching lessons on a computer or tablet. The same logic works for letters, words, or even time-telling. Pick a few key targets, run matching trials, then probe for the untaught skills. You may find that the learner can do much more than you trained.