The Effect of a Mediation-Blocking Task on the Acquisition of Instructive Feedback Targets.
Kids still learn the hidden targets in instructive feedback even when you stop them from talking to themselves.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave kids extra information during DTT trials. This is called instructive feedback.
Right after the extra info, they blocked any chance for the kids to repeat it out loud.
They wanted to see if stopping this self-talk would stop the kids from learning the extra words later.
What they found
All three kids still picked up the untaught words, even with the talking blocked.
Stopping vocal echoing did not hurt learning.
How this fits with other research
Tullis et al. (2022) also used instructive feedback and saw strong gains in new verbal responses. Their study shows IF works; Amelia et al. show it still works when you block the echo.
Leaf et al. (2017) got big leaps in group DTT with IF for kids with autism. The new data say you do not need to wait for kids to whisper the extras to themselves.
Crane et al. (2010) found that repeating plans out loud helps say-do matching. That task needed the talk; instructive feedback does not. Different jobs, different rules.
Why it matters
You can stop worrying about whether kids echo the extra information. Slip the bonus target into the trial, then move on. No need to prompt them to repeat it. This saves seconds every trial and keeps momentum high. Try it next session: give the instructive feedback, block echoing with a quick distractor, and probe the extra skill later. You may pick up free skills without the chatter.
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Join Free →After the consequence, drop a quick mediation-blocking task like 'clap hands' before the next trial—then probe the untaught target later.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The inclusion of instructive feedback in discrete-trial training has been shown to increase the efficiency of learning. However, the behavioral mechanism underlying the effectiveness of this procedure has not yet been determined. Researchers have suggested that learners covertly self-echo the feedback, which mediates later responding. The present study sought to understand the role of self-echoics in the acquisition of untaught targets. Participants were directly taught to tact pictures, then given instructive feedback after the praise statement. The 3 experimental conditions were (a) a typical instructive feedback procedure; (b) a vocal mediation-blocking procedure, in which the participants were asked to engage in a competing vocal response immediately after the instructive feedback; and (c) a motor-distraction procedure, in which the participants were asked to engage in a motor response immediately after the instructive feedback. The inclusion of the vocal mediation-blocking task had little effect on the participants' ability to learn the instructive feedback targets for all 3 participants.
The Analysis of verbal behavior, 2019 · doi:10.1007/BF00947035