Promoting the emergence of tacting three‐digit numerals through a chain prompt combined with matrix training
Chain prompt plus matrix training turned 24 taught three-digit numerals into 192 named numerals for preschoolers with autism.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Two preschoolers with autism learned to name three-digit numbers like 312 or 507.
The teacher used a chain prompt: say each digit in order, then say the whole number.
They also used matrix training. They taught only 24 numbers, but the matrix let them test 192 numbers.
What they found
After a few short lessons, both kids could name all 192 numbers.
For every number they were taught, they could name 8 to 12 new numbers without extra teaching.
No child needed re-teaching.
How this fits with other research
Curiel et al. (2020) also used matrix training. They taught 12 clock times and got about half of 132 new times correct. Clements got a bigger payoff: 8-12 new tacts for each taught tact.
Dass et al. (2018) taught kids with autism to name smells with echoic prompts and prompt delay. Clements added matrix structure to chain prompts and got far more emergent skills.
Meier et al. (2012) showed that teaching mand or tact can spark the other operant. Clements shows matrix training can spark many new tacts without touching the other operant.
Why it matters
You can get a lot for a little. Teach 24 three-digit numbers and walk away with 192 named numbers.
Next time you need big expressive vocab fast, pair a simple chain prompt with a matrix. Probe first—you may not need to teach every single target.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty generalizing from directly trained responses to untrained responses (i.e., emergent responding). In this study, we used a chain prompt combined with matrix training to teach 2 participants with ASD to tact 192 three-digit numerals. We used a multiple-baseline design across matrices to evaluate the treatment effects on trained and untrained tacts of numerals. Both participants mastered all numerals exposed to training and all numerals not exposed to training after 3 to 5 sixteen-trial sessions per matrix. One participant learned to tact 8 numerals for each 1 numeral exposed to direct training, and the other participant learned to tact 12 numerals for each 1 numeral exposed to direct training. We discuss these results relative to the effectiveness and efficiency of our chain prompt combined with matrix training for teaching tacting skills for targets with shared stimulus properties that facilitate generalization to untrained targets.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2021 · doi:10.1002/jaba.861