Using concurrent reinforcement schedules and prompts to produce varied manding: A replication of Seaver and Bourret (2020)

Seaver et al. (2023) copied their own 2020 setup with three boys on the spectrum.

Two levers sat on a table. Pressing one lever produced a single snack. Pressing the other lever produced a different snack plus praise, but only if the boy asked in a new way.

The team added a quick verbal prompt like, "Use a different word," when the same mand popped up twice in a row.

Every boy started with one or two stock phrases. After the prompt-and-schedule mix, each boy doubled or tripled his mand forms.

The new mands stayed high even when prompts stopped.

Seaver et al. (2020) tried the same levers first. That study showed the trick works for many kids; the new paper shows it still works for young boys with autism.

Olin et al. (2020) used a lag schedule to make answers to questions more flexible. Seaver moves the lag idea into requests, proving the rule works across verbal types.

Galizio et al. (2020) saw only weak interest in varied play among preschoolers with autism. Seaver’s boys, a little older, jumped into varied mands once the rules were clear. The gap looks like a age effect, not a clash.

If a child keeps asking for the same thing the same way, set up two paths: one safe, one that pays extra for novelty. Add a brief prompt the moment repetition shows up. You can fade the prompt in days and still keep the variety. Try it during snack, play, or any time you want mands to grow.