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Demonstration versus instructions in concept attainment by mental retardates
&ha\.
RFS. & Therap).
1973, Vol.
I I. pp. 299 ID 302. Pergamon
Press. Printed
zn England
DEMONSTRATION VERSUS INSTRUCTiONS IN CONCEPT ATTAINMENT BY MENTAL RETARDATES* TED
L. ROSENTHAL and JEFFREY S. KELLOGG?
University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz. 85721, U.S.A.
(Received 10 October 1972)
Summarv-Training through observed silent demonstrations was compared with providing equivalent information by verbal instructions, using adult mental retardates of three age and ability levels. At all levels, demonstration surpassed instructions in promoting concept attainment and transfer. During imitation testing, all groups received feedbeck (‘right’ or ‘wrong’) about their responses. Dispensing candy rewards for correct answers did not affect performance.
A NUMBER of recent studies have shown modeling procedures to be very efficient in transmitting abstract information, such as diverse grammatical parameters (Carroll, Rosenthal and Brysh, in press; Rosenthal and Carroll, 1972) to normal children. Various novel concepts also have been learned, generalized, and retained from vicarious techniques (Rosenthal, Alford and Rasp, 1972; Zimmerman and Rosenthal, l972), and rapid observational learning and transfer of highly symbolic categories has been found with adults as well (Rosenthal and Hertz, in press). In some of the above research, symbolic modeling by instructions or rule provision has proven a very effective training device, depending on the adequacy of children’s verbal repertoires. However, in one study using children with meagre English language skills (Rosenthal and Zimmerman, 1972, Exp. 3), observing a model’s actions created adequate learning but giving equivalent information verbally failed to produce any concept attainment. Those results suggested that observation may have special efficacy for people with limited verbal repertoires, such as retardates. The present study thus compared training through silent demonstrations with equivalent information provided verbally. In prior conceptual social learning research, offering small (Rosenthal and Whitebook, 1970) or large (Rosenthal and Carroll, 1972) money rewards had little effect on performance. To determine if dispensed reinforcers would have effects unlike promised incentives, giving tangible rewards plus feedback was presently compared with giving feedback alone. METHOD Subjects and experimenter-model The School classified retardates into several age and ability levels, and 16 subjects (comparable proportions of men and women) from each of 3 groups were randomly * We are deeply grateful to Paul D. Wulkan and his staff at the Arizona Training Program at Tucson, whose splendid cooperation made this research possible. t Now at the Dept. of Psychology, University of Nebraska, Omaha, Neb. 299
TED L. ROSENTHAL
300
and
JEFFREY
S. KELLOGG
assigned in equal numbers to the training conditions. The Adolescent group(mcan age = 15.8 years) and the Work Skills group (mean age = 26.8 years) were both substantially retarded. The Pre-vocational group (mean age = 27.2 years) was brighter and showed some potential for more gainful eventual employment. Since past research with the concept task found similar results when the experimenter served as his own model or used another person as model (Rosenthal, Feist and Durning, in press) the same male undergraduate student took both the experimenter and the model (E-M) roles. Materials
and scoring
The concept required coordinating the number and color of plastic disk stimuli to 3-marble, contiguous triangles that were to be placed on an ordinary Chinese-checkerboard. The disks occurred in the colors red, black, white and blue. in the baseline and imitation phases, first one disk of each color was presented, then two disks of each color, and then three disks of each color to create 12 (4 colors x 3 numbers) trials. The marbles occurred in the same colors as well as in orange and yellow, and were placed in a pan. Thus, given two blue disks, correct response required two blue 3-marble triangles; given three red disks, correct response required three red 3-marble triangles, etc. In the transfer phase, S for the first time received two disks of unlike colors per trial; combining all pairs of disk colors in both left-right positions again created 12 trial stimuli. Thus, given a black and a white disk, correct transfer response required one black and one white triangle, each formed by 3 adjacent marbles. Further details of the task, and the sequence of presenting the stimuli, were reported earlier (Rosenthal et al., 1971). Scores were computed as the sum of en/ire/y correct trials per phase. Procedure
and training variations
Each S was taken individually to a test room, seated at a table, and was instructed in the baseline phase to “make something (with the marbles) that goes with (the stimulus) and put it here (on the board)“. In a fixed stimulus order, the I2 baseline trials were completed and S’s responses recorded. Next, E-M confirmed that all S’s understood the meaning of ‘triangle’; when any doubt existed, the triangle shape was drawn for S. After baseline, demonstration Ss were instructed as follows: “Now I am going to show you a good way to play this game; watch me !” E-M then repeated the stimulus presentations and, for each, silently demonstrated the appropriate triangle(s) response. For the instructions condition, E-M instead stated: “Now I am going to tell you a good way to play this game; listen to me!” Then, E-M verbally repeated all stimulus-response coordinations in sequence, e.g. “If I show you one white chip, you make one white triangle on the board by putting three white marbles together, etc.” Thus, both in content and sequence, parallel information was contained in the demonstration and instructions methods. After training, E-M introduced the imitation phase to all Ss by saying: “Okay, now it’s your turn.” He presented the stimuli in the same order and recorded S’s responses, giving correct feedback (‘right’ or ‘wrong’) as was appropriate to each response. Half the Ss in each training condition were also given a piece of wrapped hard candy on each correct response; the candy reinforcement was omitted for the remaining Ss. After the imitation test, E-M introduced the transfer phase to all Ss as follows: “Now I am going to show you the chips in a new way and each time try and make the right marble pattern. I won’t be able to tell you how well you are doing until you are all finished, but you try your very best to make the right things with the marbles each time.” Then, the 12
CONCEPT
ATTAINMENT
BY MENTAL
301
RETARDATES
transfer stimuli were presented and S’s responses recorded. Neither feedback were dispensed in the transfer phase, after which each S was praised, thanked, pieces of candy and returned to his group’s ongoing activity.
nor candy given five
Design The main analysis of variance involved a 3 (age-ability group) x 2 (demonstration or instructions training) x 2 (candy dispensed or not) x 3 (phases) repeated measures factorial design. Specific comparisons were made with the Cochran and Cox (1957, p. 299) test for selected means in repeated measures designs, and all significance levels reported were based on two-tailed probability estimates. RESULTS Providing or withholding candy reinforcement gave no hint of creating a main effect (F = 0.07, NS) or interacting with any other variate. Thus, the reinforcement conditions were combined in Table 1, which presents the means by phase for each age-ability group, showing the demonstration and instructions training conditions separately.
TABLE 1. MEAN CORRE~ TRAINING
CONDITION,
RESPONSESBY AGE-ABILITY GROUP, AND
EXPERIMENTAL
PHASE
Experimental phase Group Adolescents (n = 16) Demonstration Instructions
Baseline
Imitation
0.00 0.00
5.00 0.75
0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00
5.25 0.25
1.50 0.00
0.00 0.00
11.00 4.75
9.00 4.50
Transfer
Work skills (n = 16) Demonstration Instructions Pre-vocational (n = 16) Demonstration Instructions
Not a single correct response was given in baseline by any S, and hence all groups were initially comparable. The main analysis disclosed a very significant increase from baseline to the later phases (F = 41.30, df = 2/72, p < O.OOl), showing that training had sponsored concept attainment, and a significant main effect for the age-ability groupings (F = 16.18, df = 2/36, p < O.OOl), simply validating the school’s ability to discriminate students’ learning potential. Of most interest was the main effect showing that demonstration far surpassed instructions training (F = 14.26, df = l/36, p c 0.001). No significant interactions were found and the absence of a training x age-ability effect (F = 1.00, NS) indicated that the superiority of demonstration over instructions held for all ability groups. Cochran and Cox tests disclosed that the Adolescent, Work Skills and Pre-vocational groups surpassed their own baseline scores during imitation, but only the brightest, Prevocational Ss scored higher in transfer than in baseline (all ps < 0.01). The combined B.R.T.
1113-D
302
TED L. ROSENTHAL and JEFFREY s. KELLOGG
demonstration Ss increased significantly from baseline to each later phase (bothps < 0.01). In contrast, the combined instructions Ss only surpassed their baseline scores during the imitation phase (p
CARROLL
RFS. & Therap).
1973, Vol.
I I. pp. 299 ID 302. Pergamon
Press. Printed
zn England
DEMONSTRATION VERSUS INSTRUCTiONS IN CONCEPT ATTAINMENT BY MENTAL RETARDATES* TED
L. ROSENTHAL and JEFFREY S. KELLOGG?
University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz. 85721, U.S.A.
(Received 10 October 1972)
Summarv-Training through observed silent demonstrations was compared with providing equivalent information by verbal instructions, using adult mental retardates of three age and ability levels. At all levels, demonstration surpassed instructions in promoting concept attainment and transfer. During imitation testing, all groups received feedbeck (‘right’ or ‘wrong’) about their responses. Dispensing candy rewards for correct answers did not affect performance.
A NUMBER of recent studies have shown modeling procedures to be very efficient in transmitting abstract information, such as diverse grammatical parameters (Carroll, Rosenthal and Brysh, in press; Rosenthal and Carroll, 1972) to normal children. Various novel concepts also have been learned, generalized, and retained from vicarious techniques (Rosenthal, Alford and Rasp, 1972; Zimmerman and Rosenthal, l972), and rapid observational learning and transfer of highly symbolic categories has been found with adults as well (Rosenthal and Hertz, in press). In some of the above research, symbolic modeling by instructions or rule provision has proven a very effective training device, depending on the adequacy of children’s verbal repertoires. However, in one study using children with meagre English language skills (Rosenthal and Zimmerman, 1972, Exp. 3), observing a model’s actions created adequate learning but giving equivalent information verbally failed to produce any concept attainment. Those results suggested that observation may have special efficacy for people with limited verbal repertoires, such as retardates. The present study thus compared training through silent demonstrations with equivalent information provided verbally. In prior conceptual social learning research, offering small (Rosenthal and Whitebook, 1970) or large (Rosenthal and Carroll, 1972) money rewards had little effect on performance. To determine if dispensed reinforcers would have effects unlike promised incentives, giving tangible rewards plus feedback was presently compared with giving feedback alone. METHOD Subjects and experimenter-model The School classified retardates into several age and ability levels, and 16 subjects (comparable proportions of men and women) from each of 3 groups were randomly * We are deeply grateful to Paul D. Wulkan and his staff at the Arizona Training Program at Tucson, whose splendid cooperation made this research possible. t Now at the Dept. of Psychology, University of Nebraska, Omaha, Neb. 299
TED L. ROSENTHAL
300
and
JEFFREY
S. KELLOGG
assigned in equal numbers to the training conditions. The Adolescent group(mcan age = 15.8 years) and the Work Skills group (mean age = 26.8 years) were both substantially retarded. The Pre-vocational group (mean age = 27.2 years) was brighter and showed some potential for more gainful eventual employment. Since past research with the concept task found similar results when the experimenter served as his own model or used another person as model (Rosenthal, Feist and Durning, in press) the same male undergraduate student took both the experimenter and the model (E-M) roles. Materials
and scoring
The concept required coordinating the number and color of plastic disk stimuli to 3-marble, contiguous triangles that were to be placed on an ordinary Chinese-checkerboard. The disks occurred in the colors red, black, white and blue. in the baseline and imitation phases, first one disk of each color was presented, then two disks of each color, and then three disks of each color to create 12 (4 colors x 3 numbers) trials. The marbles occurred in the same colors as well as in orange and yellow, and were placed in a pan. Thus, given two blue disks, correct response required two blue 3-marble triangles; given three red disks, correct response required three red 3-marble triangles, etc. In the transfer phase, S for the first time received two disks of unlike colors per trial; combining all pairs of disk colors in both left-right positions again created 12 trial stimuli. Thus, given a black and a white disk, correct transfer response required one black and one white triangle, each formed by 3 adjacent marbles. Further details of the task, and the sequence of presenting the stimuli, were reported earlier (Rosenthal et al., 1971). Scores were computed as the sum of en/ire/y correct trials per phase. Procedure
and training variations
Each S was taken individually to a test room, seated at a table, and was instructed in the baseline phase to “make something (with the marbles) that goes with (the stimulus) and put it here (on the board)“. In a fixed stimulus order, the I2 baseline trials were completed and S’s responses recorded. Next, E-M confirmed that all S’s understood the meaning of ‘triangle’; when any doubt existed, the triangle shape was drawn for S. After baseline, demonstration Ss were instructed as follows: “Now I am going to show you a good way to play this game; watch me !” E-M then repeated the stimulus presentations and, for each, silently demonstrated the appropriate triangle(s) response. For the instructions condition, E-M instead stated: “Now I am going to tell you a good way to play this game; listen to me!” Then, E-M verbally repeated all stimulus-response coordinations in sequence, e.g. “If I show you one white chip, you make one white triangle on the board by putting three white marbles together, etc.” Thus, both in content and sequence, parallel information was contained in the demonstration and instructions methods. After training, E-M introduced the imitation phase to all Ss by saying: “Okay, now it’s your turn.” He presented the stimuli in the same order and recorded S’s responses, giving correct feedback (‘right’ or ‘wrong’) as was appropriate to each response. Half the Ss in each training condition were also given a piece of wrapped hard candy on each correct response; the candy reinforcement was omitted for the remaining Ss. After the imitation test, E-M introduced the transfer phase to all Ss as follows: “Now I am going to show you the chips in a new way and each time try and make the right marble pattern. I won’t be able to tell you how well you are doing until you are all finished, but you try your very best to make the right things with the marbles each time.” Then, the 12
CONCEPT
ATTAINMENT
BY MENTAL
301
RETARDATES
transfer stimuli were presented and S’s responses recorded. Neither feedback were dispensed in the transfer phase, after which each S was praised, thanked, pieces of candy and returned to his group’s ongoing activity.
nor candy given five
Design The main analysis of variance involved a 3 (age-ability group) x 2 (demonstration or instructions training) x 2 (candy dispensed or not) x 3 (phases) repeated measures factorial design. Specific comparisons were made with the Cochran and Cox (1957, p. 299) test for selected means in repeated measures designs, and all significance levels reported were based on two-tailed probability estimates. RESULTS Providing or withholding candy reinforcement gave no hint of creating a main effect (F = 0.07, NS) or interacting with any other variate. Thus, the reinforcement conditions were combined in Table 1, which presents the means by phase for each age-ability group, showing the demonstration and instructions training conditions separately.
TABLE 1. MEAN CORRE~ TRAINING
CONDITION,
RESPONSESBY AGE-ABILITY GROUP, AND
EXPERIMENTAL
PHASE
Experimental phase Group Adolescents (n = 16) Demonstration Instructions
Baseline
Imitation
0.00 0.00
5.00 0.75
0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00
5.25 0.25
1.50 0.00
0.00 0.00
11.00 4.75
9.00 4.50
Transfer
Work skills (n = 16) Demonstration Instructions Pre-vocational (n = 16) Demonstration Instructions
Not a single correct response was given in baseline by any S, and hence all groups were initially comparable. The main analysis disclosed a very significant increase from baseline to the later phases (F = 41.30, df = 2/72, p < O.OOl), showing that training had sponsored concept attainment, and a significant main effect for the age-ability groupings (F = 16.18, df = 2/36, p < O.OOl), simply validating the school’s ability to discriminate students’ learning potential. Of most interest was the main effect showing that demonstration far surpassed instructions training (F = 14.26, df = l/36, p c 0.001). No significant interactions were found and the absence of a training x age-ability effect (F = 1.00, NS) indicated that the superiority of demonstration over instructions held for all ability groups. Cochran and Cox tests disclosed that the Adolescent, Work Skills and Pre-vocational groups surpassed their own baseline scores during imitation, but only the brightest, Prevocational Ss scored higher in transfer than in baseline (all ps < 0.01). The combined B.R.T.
1113-D
302
TED L. ROSENTHAL and JEFFREY s. KELLOGG
demonstration Ss increased significantly from baseline to each later phase (bothps < 0.01). In contrast, the combined instructions Ss only surpassed their baseline scores during the imitation phase (p
CARROLL