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.