Mands for information using "who?" and "which?" in the presence of establishing and abolishing operations.
Test mands for information under both EO and AO conditions to be sure the child truly needs and will use the answer.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Shillingsburg et al. (2014) worked with three children with autism. The team wanted to teach the kids to ask "who?" and "which?" when they needed missing information.
First, the researchers set up situations where the child wanted a toy but did not know who had it or which box it was in. These moments are called establishing operations, or EOs. They also tested the same questions when the child already knew the answer. Those are abolishing operations, or AOs.
The kids got short teaching trials. If they asked the right question and used the answer to get the item, they earned the toy and praise.
What they found
All three children quickly learned to ask "who?" and "which?" during EO trials. They stopped asking during AO trials. This showed true mands, not rote phrases.
The children also used the information they received. If told "Mom has it," they walked to Mom and took the item. Generalization tests showed they could ask "which?" with new toys and boxes without extra teaching.
How this fits with other research
Nevin et al. (2005) showed that briefly withholding snacks makes children with autism more likely to mand to peers. Alice et al. used the same EO idea, but for questions instead of food.
Jones et al. (2010) proved that rich attention before a session increases later problem behavior. Alice's team flipped this logic: they withheld key information to evoke useful mands.
Cadette et al. (2016) taught high-school students with autism to answer "wh-" questions. Alice's study moves in the opposite direction: teaching kids to ask, not answer, those questions.
Why it matters
You can add EO probes to any mand program. Before running trials, hide a preferred item or its holder. If the child asks a question and then uses the answer, you have a real mand. If the child asks when the info is already known, you may have rote responding. Try this next session: pick one toy, hide it in one of two boxes, and wait for a "which?" prompt. Only give the item if the child uses your answer.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Treatments designed to teach mands for information have included prompting and differential reinforcement, as well as procedures to manipulate the relevant establishing operation (EO). However, previous studies have not included relevant abolishing operation (AO) conditions to ensure that the mand is under relevant antecedent control. Data on listener responses (i.e., use of the information) are also absent in the literature. The current study shows differential responding under EO and AO conditions and reports listener responses that demonstrate use of the provided information. Three participants, diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, learned to mand for information using "who?" and "which?" questions exclusively under EO conditions. In addition, each participant responded to the information provided to access a preferred item. Generalization of the "which?" mand for information was also demonstrated across novel stimuli.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2014 · doi:10.1002/jaba.101