Teaching generalized table bussing. The importance of negative teaching examples.
Add short "don't do it" clips to your general-case video set and students with ID will bus any table the first time.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Collier et al. (1986) worked with students who have moderate or severe intellectual disability.
The team wanted the students to clear any cafeteria table, not just the one they practiced on.
They used general-case instruction plus negative teaching examples. Kids saw what to do and what not to do.
What they found
The students cleaned new, untrained tables correctly.
The skill stuck without extra teaching.
Adding clear "wrong way" clips helped the rule sink in.
How this fits with other research
Sprague et al. (1984) showed that three vending-machine examples beat one. H et al. added the "don't" clips to the same logic.
Milata et al. (2020) copied the plan with video modeling for teens with autism. Both studies got broad use of new machines.
Mates (1990) took the idea further, saying we can teach speech the same way. Table-bussing was the first brick in a bigger wall.
Why it matters
If you run community-based instruction, build a quick video library. Show three right ways and one clear wrong way.
Learners see the full range and transfer the skill faster. You save teaching time later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examines the effects of using positive and negative training examples within a "general case"teaching format to train students with moderate and severe mental retardation to bus tables in cafeteria settings. The primary dependent variable was performance across a set of 15 nontrained tables in two nontrained cafeteria settings. The 15 nontrained tables were selected to sample the range of different stimulus and response demands for table bussing in cafeteria settings. Social validation of the effect was also assessed under maximally normal work conditions. The independent variable was the use of general case instruction with "negative" training examples (i.e., examples in which the learner is not to perform the target response). Results indicate a functional relationship between correct responding with the nontrained tables and general case instruction. The importance of selecting both positive and negative training examples when teaching generalized skills is discussed.
Behavior modification, 1986 · doi:10.1177/01454455860104005