Teaching undergraduates to solve equivalence problems by using cover, copy, and compare: A translational study

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Students often struggle with complex learning tasks.
• Effective study strategies are crucial for academic success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Cover, Copy, Compare (CCC) strategy for establishing equivalence classes.
• To assess the efficacy of CCC with both familiar and abstract stimuli.

Main Methods:

• Participants were trained in CCC using video and experimenter feedback.
• Students used CCC to create graphic organizers representing stimulus relations.
• Performance was assessed via matching-to-sample posttests.

Main Results:

• Five of seven participants achieved over 90% on posttests with familiar stimuli.
• All participants scored over 90% with abstract stimuli, with some using graphic organizers during the test.
• Participants reported high acceptability of the CCC intervention.

Conclusions:

• The Cover, Copy, Compare strategy is effective for teaching equivalence relations.
• CCC is adaptable for both simple and complex stimuli, demonstrating its versatility.
• The strategy is well-received by students, indicating strong social validity.