Observational learning mediated by the mother of two adolescents with Down syndrome: An exploratory study

Observational learning is defined as the acquisition of a new response based on observing others come into contact with different contingencies of reinforcement. Previous studies demonstrated that children with neurodevelopmental disorders acquire verbal behaviors through observational learning. The purpose of the study was to explore the effect of an observational learning procedure on the acquisition of tacts and pointing responses to pictures mediated by the mother of two adolescents with Down syndrome. During baseline session pictures were presented to each participant and the responses were not followed by specific consequences. The mother was trained to conduct the instructional sessions for one of the participants while the other observed. The percentage of correct responses increased compared to baseline for both participants after the instructional sessions. The percentage of correct responses was higher for the participant exposed to direct training than for the observer participant. The results of the present study extend the results of previous research in which observational acquisition of verbal operants were demonstrated.