Comparison of matching the compound or elements as a differential problem-solving response.

Differential observing responses (DORs) are additional response requirements used to promote orientation to a stimulus in a discrimination task. Farber and Dickson (2023) recently provided a DOR taxonomy, and these authors reported that no prior research has compared the effects of distinct DOR requirements. We compared the effects of two DOR requirements on textual responding by five children exhibiting reading deficits. Participants read a daily word list and were required to emit DORs that involved matching the compound or individual elements of the target stimulus. When a word was unknown, emitting the condition-specific DOR resulted in a tablet-produced echoic prompt. The DOR that required matching of the individual elements met the acquisition criterion in the fewest days for four participants but was not preferred by any participant. Implications for DORs in a problem-solving paradigm and conditions contributing to their efficacy are considered.