A Component Analysis of Skill Acquisition Consequences with Listener Responses

We conducted a component analysis of skill acquisition consequences for correct and incorrect responses. In the learn unit (LU) condition, researchers praised correct responses and implemented a correction procedure contingent on incorrect responses. In the praise-only-for-correct-responses (PC) condition, researchers delivered contingent praise for correct responses and ignored incorrect responses. In the correction-only-for-incorrect-responses (CI) condition, researchers ignored correct responses and implemented the correction procedure contingent on incorrect responses. We manipulated this independent variable across educational and abstract stimuli and measured acquisition rate, duration, and maintenance of responses. The results showed that the LU and the CI conditions were both effective in teaching listener responses and were more effective than the PC procedure. Furthermore, the LU instruction was not necessarily more efficient than the CI condition on acquisition of listener responses. The results suggested that the correction procedure may be necessary and sufficient for skill acquisition and maintenance.