Stimulus Overselectivity and Restricted Stimulus Control
NICDH R01 HD 037055 and P01 HD 025995 P3
Stimulus overselectivity refers to learning that is atypically limited with respect to range, breadth, or number of stimuli or stimulus features. Findings during the past several years include the following: (1) The specific stimuli that exert stimulus control in cases of overselectivity can be predicted and modified by manipulating reinforcement contingencies (Dube & McIlvane, 1997). (2) Overselectivity may be reduced for some individuals if redundancy in stimulus-reinforcer relations is eliminated (Dube, 1997). (3) Differential observing responses control observing behavior and verify discrimination of all relevant stimuli or stimulus elements. Overselectivity may be greatly reduced if task requirements are changed to require differential observing responses (Dube & McIlvane, 1999; Walpole et al., in preparation). (4) Direct assessments of observing behavior in our eye tracking laboratory show that overselectivity is accompanied by deficient observing behavior. Deficits include failures to observe of all relevant stimuli and inadequate observing durations (Dube et al., 1999; 2003; in press). (5) Interventions that eliminate deficits in observing, either by modifications to the stimuli or by imposing contingencies on observing behavior, also eliminate overselective responding (Dube et al., in preparation). These results indicate that overselectivity may not reflect a central attentional deficit, but rather poor organization of observing behavior.
An ongoing experiment asks to what extent stimulus overselectivity is less likely with familiar stimuli that the subject can name. The rationale is that stimuli which set the occasion for naming may lead to more careful observation and discrimination between/among stimuli. The initial results indicate individual differences among participants, and we are currently initiating followup studies to ask whether: (1) For those who were overselective with all stimuli, will required naming of the familiar stimuli reduce overselectivity with them? (2) For those who were not overselective with the familiar stimuli, will teaching names for the unfamiliar stimuli reduce overselectivity with them? The results of this study will contribute to the development of intervention methods to be investigated in the coming years.
Dickson, C. A., Deutsch, C. K., Wang, S. S., & Dube, W. V. (2006). Matching-to-sample assessment of stimulus overselectivity in students with intellectual disabilities. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 111, 447-453.
Dickson, C. A., Wang, S. S., Lombard, K. M., & Dube, W. V. (2006). Overselective stimulus control in residential school students with intellectual disabilities. Research and Intervention in Developmental Disabilities, 27, 618-631. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2005.07.004
Dube, W. V. (1997). Restricted stimulus control and stimulus-reinforcer relations. Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin, 15, 8-11.
Dube, W. V. & McIlvane, W. J. (1997). Reinforcer frequency and restricted stimulus control. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 68, 303-316.
Dube, W. V. & McIlvane, W. J. (1999). Reduction of stimulus overselectivity with nonverbal differential observing responses. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 32, 25-33.
Dube, W. V., Lombard, K. M., Farren, K. M., Flusser, D. S., Balsamo, L. M., & Fowler, T. R. (1999). Eye tracking assessment of stimulus overselectivity in individuals with mental retardation. Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin, 17, 8-14.
Dube, W. V., Lombard, K. M., Farren, K. M., Flusser, D. S., Balsamo, L. M., Fowler, T. R., & Tomanari, G. Y. (2003). Stimulus overselectivity and observing behavior in individuals with mental retardation. In S. Soraci & K. Murata-Soraci (Eds.), Visual Information Processing (pp. 109-123). Westport, CT: Praeger.
Dube, W. V. & McIlvane, W. J. (2000). Analysis and remediation of overselectivity [Abstract]. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 44, 269-270.
Dube, W. V., Balsamo, L. M., Fowler, T. R., Dickson, C. A., Lombard, K. M., & Tomanari, G. Y. (2006). Observing behavior topography in delayed matching to multiple samples. The Psychological Record, 56, 233-244.
Under review or in preparation
Dube, W. V., Dickson, C. A., Balsamo, L. M., Fowler, T. R., & Lombard, K. M., (in preparation). Observing behavior and restricted stimulus control.
Walpole, C. W., Roscoe, E., & Dube, W. V. (accepted pending revisions). Use of a differential observing response to expand restricted stimulus control.