Provide an example to illustrate the process of discrete-trial teaching.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary, but must include the three components of DTT: stimulus, behavior, consequence. Answers may include the following: Discrete-trial teaching involves dividing a target behavior into smaller components or target responses and teaching each component separately. For example, say we want to teach Tricia to learn to identify red and blue cards when they are placed on the table. In discrete trial one, the teacher would place one red and one blue card on the table. The teacher might say, “point to red,” and Tricia would respond by pointing to the red card. The teacher would then say, “Yes, that’s right!” That is considered one discrete trial. In another session, the teacher would place one red and one blue card on the table, and ask Tricia to “point to blue.” Tricia responds by pointing to the blue card, and the teacher says, “Yes, you are correct. Good job!” This represents discrete trial number two. In this example, the teacher saying, “point to red” was the antecedent stimulus. Prior to this trial, Tricia would not have been able to point to red without the stimulus. The teacher’s request to point to a color card is considered the antecedent (A). Tricia’s response, pointing to the colored card, is considered the behavior (B). This is the response that should be reinforced with a consequence (C). The consequence for the correct response, or reinforcement, could be in the form of verbal praise, as in the above example, or it could have been delivery of a tangible reinforcer like candy or stickers. For incorrect responses, no reinforcement would be given. Instead, the teacher would provide correction, perhaps by saying, “no, that is not correct,” and then begin a new trial.