Effects of picture referencing on PVC chair, love seat, and settee assemblies by students with mental retardation

This study examined the effects of two indirect corrective feedback procedures on the assembly skills of five secondary students with moderate mental retardation. Picture and video referencing conditions, during which the experimenters pointed to a picture or video screen following a performance error and requested the student do the step again, were more effective than assembly photographs, sequenced pictures, sequenced pictures and modeling, and video modeling conditions. Picture referencing enabled each participant to independently assemble a 13-step, 31-piece chair that required assembly of 45 loose, assembled, or loose and assembled parts. Following the introduction of picture referencing across two more complex tasks, four students independently completed more complex love seat and settee assemblies in fewer trials than required during their initial chair assembly. This article discusses the self-correction and self-management implications.