Food- and nonfood-related differential outcomes in equivalence learning by adults with Prader-Willi syndrome

Am J Ment Retard. 1997 Jan;101(4):374-86.

Abstract

Adults with Prader-Willi syndrome learned the conditional relations necessary for the formation of two equivalence classes under four conditions: (a) nondifferential, nonedible outcomes; (b) nondifferential, edible outcomes; (c) differential, nonedible outcomes; and (d) differential, edible outcomes. Tests for transitive relations revealed superior performance when the two differential outcomes procedures, in which a distinct reinforcer was associated with each stimulus set, were used during teaching. Performance on test trials following nondifferential outcomes training was better when edible outcomes were used during teaching for 4 of the 5 participants. An enhancement of performance on the derived relations separated by two or three nodal stimuli was seen when a differential outcomes procedure was used to teach the baseline conditional relations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Association Learning*
  • Concept Formation
  • Discrimination Learning
  • Education of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities*
  • Female
  • Food Preferences / psychology*
  • Generalization, Psychological
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Motivation*
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual*
  • Prader-Willi Syndrome / psychology
  • Prader-Willi Syndrome / rehabilitation*
  • Transfer, Psychology