Reversal Learning Set and Functional Equivalence in Children with and Without Autism. Karen M. Lionello-Denolf, William J. McIlvane, Daniela S. Canovas, Deisy G. De Souza, and Romariz S. Barros

To evaluate whether children with and without autism could exhibit (a) functional
equivalence in the course of yoked repeated-reversal training and (b) reversal
learning set, 6 children, in each of two experiments, were exposed to simple discrimination
contingencies with three sets of stimuli. The discriminative functions
of the set members were yoked and repeatedly reversed. In Experiment 1, all the
children (of preschool age) showed gains in the efficiency of reversal learning
across reversal problems and behavior that suggested formation of functional
equivalence. In Experiment 2, 3 nonverbal children with autism exhibited strong
evidence of reversal learning set and 2 showed evidence of functional equivalence.
The data suggest a possible relationship between efficiency of reversal
learning and functional equivalence test outcomes. Procedural variables may
prove important in assessing the potential of young or nonverbal children to
classify stimuli on the basis of shared discriminative functions.