Response-contingent learning in profoundly handicapped infants: A social systems perspective

The response-contingent learning capabilities of six profoundly retarded, multiply handicapped infants were examined using an operant conditioning paradigm where a multicolored visual display was illuminated contingent upon fixated head turns. The results showed that the infants learned the criterion behavior but that conditioning latencies were likely to occur when the children were required to produce free-operant responding. The use of physical prompts appeared to accelerate the acquisition of the criterion behavior. The findings are discussed from a social systems perspective, particularly with regard to the first-, second-, and higher-order effects of response-contingent learning on the child and his or her parents. It is argued that operant learning constitutes a powerful form of early intervention.