Auditory discrimination learning with developmentally disabled persons
| dc.contributor.author | Walker, Jacqueline G. | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2007-05-25T18:32:39Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2007-05-25T18:32:39Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1999-02-01T00:00:00Z | en_US |
| dc.degree.discipline | Psychology | en_US |
| dc.degree.level | Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | The Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA) Test assesses the ease or difficulty with which individuals are able to learn a simple imitation and five two-choice discriminations that are hierarchically ordered in difficulty. It has been demonstrated that the ABLA Test is a useful assessment and training tool for developmentally disabled persons. Previous research suggests, however, that it may be worthwhile to add a bridging task between ABLA Level 4--a visual-visual identity discrimination task, and ABLA Level 5--an auditory-visual nonidentity discrimination task involving speech sounds. The present study focussed on this possibility. The proposed bridging task (an auditory matching task) involved presenting the participant with one of two "simple" sounds (the identity of which was randomly alternated across trials) and then requiring him or her to respond by manipulating one of two objects to produce a matching sound. The results of the present research suggest that the acquisition of auditory (speech) discriminations is a complex process that may be influenced by numerous factors, including developmental level and living environment. The present research did not conclusively demonstrate that learning a simpler auditory discrimination facilitated learning a more complex auditory (speech) discrimination. Directions for further research are suggested that could enhance the effectiveness of the ABLA as a practical assessment tool. | en_US |
| dc.format.extent | 684321 bytes | |
| dc.format.extent | 184 bytes | |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
| dc.format.mimetype | text/plain | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/2220 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | en_US |
| dc.rights | open access | en_US |
| dc.title | Auditory discrimination learning with developmentally disabled persons | en_US |
| dc.type | doctoral thesis | en_US |