Toward Efficiency and Effectiveness: Comparing Equivalence-based Instruction to Progressive Discrete Trial Teaching
Progressive DTT usually beats EBI for speed and child preference when teaching conditional discriminations, yet both reach mastery.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ferguson and team asked a simple question: when you need to teach a child to pick the right picture given a spoken word, is it faster to use old-school progressive discrete trial training (DTT) or the newer equivalence-based instruction (EBI)?
They worked with eight kids, . Half had autism; half were neurotypical. Each child got both teaching styles in an alternating pattern until they hit mastery on a set of conditional discriminations.
What they found
Both methods worked—every child reached mastery. But progressive DTT won the race six out of eight times. It needed fewer trials and less time.
Kids also liked it more. When given a choice at the end, most picked the DTT sessions.
How this fits with other research
Ribeiro et al. (2024) extends the story. They showed that slipping quick math problems into the delay of a matching task can grow bigger equivalence classes in college students. Ferguson’s kids did not use math prompts, yet the same core idea—linking new stimuli to meaningful nodes—lives inside both studies.
Kim et al. (2025) choice review adds a warning. Choice feels good only when the size, timing, and effort fit the learner’s history. Ferguson’s kids preferred DTT, but another client might flip if the DTT pile gets too big or the EBI game looks easier.
Pisman et al. (2020) echo the preference theme. Parents kept play fun while teaching language; Ferguson kept trials brisk while teaching conditionals. Both groups found you can teach fast and still keep the child liking the activity.
Why it matters
If you need quick mastery—say, before a preschool transition—start with progressive DTT. Watch trial count and time; you will likely finish sooner. Keep EBI in your pocket for clients who need the extra relations later. And always ask the child; their choice tells you if the pace or format is still fun.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Research has found equivalence-based instruction (EBI) to be effective and efficient, with recent research extending these finding to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). EBI has also been compared with more traditional approaches to teaching, such as traditional lectures, reading assignments, and video lectures. However, the authors are unaware of any comparisons of EBI to other similar behavior analytic approaches such as discrete trial teaching (DTT). The purpose of the first experiment was to compare EBI to progressive DTT using an adapted alternating treatments design with typically developing adults. Experiment 2 compared the two teaching methods with children diagnosed with ASD. The teaching approaches were evaluated with respect to mastery of trained relations, emergence of untrained relations for the EBI condition, and participant preferences. Results of the two experiments found that both teaching methods were effective, progressive DTT was found to be more efficient for six participants, EBI was found to be more efficient for two participants, and overall progressive DTT was found to be more preferred by participants. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-022-00687-8.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2022 · doi:10.1007/s40617-022-00687-8