Research Cluster

Matching-to-Sample and Stimulus Control

This cluster shows how to teach kids and adults to pick the picture that goes with the one they just saw. It tells you to keep the wait time short, to show all choices at once, and to check that learners are looking at every part of the card. These tricks cut mistakes and help attention spread to all the cues, not just one bright color. BCBAs use these steps to make sure new skills really stick and work with new pictures.

78articles
1966–2026year range
5key findings
Key Findings

What 78 articles tell us

  1. Inserting identity-matching checks during MTS trials reduces overselective attention by prompting learners to attend to all relevant stimulus features.
  2. Learners can use peripheral vision during MTS tasks, so spacing stimuli farther apart in the array does not hurt discrimination—especially with familiar stimuli.
  3. Presenting the auditory sample before the visual comparison array helps children master receptive identification tasks faster.
  4. Sorting-to-matching methods—starting with simple sorting and gradually introducing compound stimuli—teach attending to multiple stimulus elements simultaneously.
  5. Derived matching-to-sample skills can sometimes be built through intraverbal naming training alone, without requiring direct matching trials.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions from BCBAs and RBTs

It is a task where the learner looks at a sample stimulus, then selects the matching comparison from an array of choices. It is used to teach discrimination, receptive language, and stimulus equivalence.

Insert an identity-matching check into your teaching trials that requires the learner to respond to each part of the stimulus. This draws attention to all relevant features rather than allowing the learner to rely on just one cue.

Research shows it does not—at least for familiar stimuli. Learners use peripheral vision effectively during MTS tasks, so you have flexibility in how you lay out your arrays.

Use individual item mastery criteria rather than waiting for an entire set to meet the bar. Research shows assessing each item separately speeds acquisition without reducing accuracy.

Yes. Research has demonstrated fully automated MTS sessions built in standard presentation software. You do not need expensive tools to run effective matching programs.