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Date of Graduation
5-14-2026
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Department of Psychology
First Advisor
Trevor F. Stokes
Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often demonstrate difficulties responding to “wh” questions (e.g., what, where, who), which are critical for social communication and academic participation. Differential observing responses (DORs) have been shown to improve discrimination learning by increasing attention to relevant stimulus features. The present study evaluated the effects of a DOR procedure using a two-stimulus visual array on the acquisition of intraverbal responding to “wh” questions in a child with ASD.
A multiple baseline across behaviors design was used to assess intervention effects across three response classes: what, where, and who questions. During intervention, the participant selected the correct comparison stimulus from a two-stimulus array prior to or in conjunction with responding. The primary dependent variable was the percentage of independent correct responses. Generalization and maintenance were also assessed.
Results indicated low and stable responding during baseline, followed by immediate increases in independent correct responding across all conditions after introduction of the DOR procedure. The “who” condition demonstrated the most rapid and stable acquisition, whereas the “what” and “where” conditions showed improvements with greater variability. Generalization to novel stimuli was observed, and maintenance probes at 3- and 5-week follow-ups indicated that responding was sustained. These findings suggest that DOR procedures may be an effective approach for improving intraverbal responding
