A Further Analysis of Commission Errors during Discrete Trial Training

Abstract

Treatment integrity has been manipulated in various ways to evaluate its impact on intervention effectiveness. Studies have compared different types of integrity failures and levels of treatment integrity in various contexts and behavioral interventions. Evaluations include differential reinforcement of alternative behavior, child compliance, and discrete trial training. However, further research is needed to establish the point at which integrity becomes detrimental to intervention effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to conduct a parametric analysis (i.e., 100%, 75%, 50%, & 25%) of treatment integrity to examine the effects of commission errors during discrete trial training. Three participants, ages 35 - 42 months diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were included. Using discrete trial training (DTT), participants were taught to receptively identify features of common items. Targets taught with 100% integrity (perfect implementation) yielded the fastest rates of acquisition for all participants. Low level of treatment integrity (i.e., 25%) or persistent errors produced a slower rate of acquisition.