Appetitive Pavlovian conditioning in two inclusive kindergarten classrooms

The present study evaluated the efficacy of a classwide appetitive Pavlovian conditioning protocol implemented in two inclusive kindergarten classrooms. Each classroom enrolled similar distributions of typically developing children and children who were either eligible for special education services or diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Two Pavlovian conditioning trials (CS+ ➔ US) and two unpaired trials (CS- ➔ no US) per day were superimposed on normal classroom activities at random times. Conditioned responses (i.e., positive emotional responding and attention directed to the CS) were recorded during the CS+ and CS- events. In both classrooms-one in which the teacher verbally specified the Pavlovian contingency and one in which they did not-the CS+ evoked significantly more of both conditioned responses in typically developing children. Children with developmental disabilities showed significantly more CS+-evoked attention, but the effect size was smaller than among typically developing children. The CS+ did not evoke significantly more positive emotional responding in the children with developmental disabilities unless the teacher verbally specified the CS+ ➔ US contingency. Such procedural refinements may be important if a therapeutic appetitive CS is to influence adaptive operant behavior via, for example, conditioned reinforcement or Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer in children with developmental disabilities.