A Systematic Review of Emergent Learning Outcomes Produced by Foreign language Tact Training

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Language Acquisition

Background:

• Tact training is a foundational verbal operant in language development.
• Understanding emergent learning is crucial for effective language interventions.
• Limited research exists on the comparative effectiveness of foreign tact training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the effects of foreign tact training on emergent learning.
• To conduct a meta-analysis comparing foreign tact training with other verbal operant procedures.
• To assess the efficiency of foreign tact training for emergent outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of ten published studies on foreign tact training.
• Meta-analysis of aggregate data from seven studies comparing different verbal operant procedures.
• Analysis of criterion-level responses and emergent responding levels.

Main Results:

• Foreign tact training produced criterion-level responses in 79.2% of post-test probes.
• Significantly higher emergent responding was observed after foreign tact training compared to other procedures.
• No significant difference in emergent outcomes between adults and children.

Conclusions:

• Foreign tact training is an effective strategy for promoting emergent learning outcomes.
• It demonstrates superior efficacy compared to foreign-to-native intraverbal, native-to-foreign intraverbal, and foreign listener training.
• Foreign tact training shows slight efficiency advantages, warranting further investigation.