A preliminary analysis of stimulus class on skill acquisition

Purpose Instructional efficiency during skill acquisition can be influenced by factors such as set size, acquisition criteria and reinforcement parameters. This preliminary study aims to examine whether stimulus class (animals vs fruits/vegetables) affects the efficiency of independent tact acquisition. Design/methodology/approach Four preschool-aged children enrolled in a CABAS ® classroom were taught to tact novel stimuli under two instructional conditions (set analysis and operant analysis) using an adapted alternating treatments design. The primary measure was the cumulative number of learn units required to acquire five operants per stimulus class. Findings Three of four participants required fewer learn units to acquire animal tacts across both instructional conditions. Projected data further indicated efficient acquisition of animal tacts compared to fruits/vegetable tacts. Originality/value These results suggest that stimulus class may influence learning efficiency, potentially due to differences in stimulus salience or reinforcement history. Future research should explore the role of stimulus preference, conditioning procedures and linguistic complexity in shaping acquisition outcomes.