Reading comprehension with the Go/<scp>No‐Go</scp> procedure with compound stimuli
Go/No-Go compound-stimulus training quickly creates emergent picture-to-print and textual reading responses without direct instruction.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three preschoolers with no reading skills joined a Go/No-Go game.
Each child saw picture-word pairs on a tablet.
They learned to tap "Go" for correct pairs and "No-Go" for wrong ones.
The team used a multiple-baseline design across three sets of words.
What they found
After only a few sessions, every child could read new words they had never been taught.
They also matched pictures to words and words to pictures without extra training.
The kids kept these skills two weeks later.
How this fits with other research
Marin et al. (2022) showed adults can pull meaningful words into new classes.
This study proves the same trick works for preschoolers, extending the idea to younger learners.
McAleer et al. (2011) warned that complex nine-part pictures can cause over-selectivity.
The current paper used simpler two-part pairs and avoided that problem.
Emmelkamp et al. (1986) found sight-word drills work fastest for preschoolers.
Go/No-Go training matched that speed while adding bonus emergent skills.
Why it matters
You can teach basic reading in half the time by mixing pictures and words in a simple Go/No-Go game.
No extra drills are needed for comprehension—the relations emerge for free.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The present study investigated whether the Go/No-Go procedure with compound stimuli produces emergent relations among dictated words (A), pictures (B), and printed words (C) and the emergence of textual behavior (CD) using a multiple probe design across word sets. Three preschool children were exposed to 4 phases: (1) pretests for BC, CB, and CD relations, (2) pretraining with known stimuli, (3) AB and AC training, and (4) posttests for BC, CB, and CD relations. During AB and AC training, responses to A1B1, A2B2, A1C1, and A2C2 compound stimuli, but not to A1B2, A2B1, A1C2, and A2C1, were reinforced. The results showed that all participants met the learning criterion and demonstrated emergence of BC and CB relations (i.e., relations between pictures and printed words), and CD relations (i.e., textual behavior) after training. These results suggest that the Go/No-Go procedure with compound stimuli is an effective alternative for establishing reading comprehension.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2020 · doi:10.1002/jaba.744