Tact
Tact Control (i.e., Labeling)
The tact primary benefits the listener by extending the control of their environment. For instance, hearing the response Fire! allows the listener to respond (e.g., extinguish or evacuate) as if they saw the fire themself. To assess tact control, ensure the target item is present, but that access to it is not restricted. Neither the name of the item, nor anything about the item is stated by the assessor.
Objective: To assess the extent to which non-verbal properties of the environment control the speaker’s verbal behavior.
Materials: Caregiver-identified preferred objects. (Minimum of six.)
Method: Free-operant preference assessment.
Intertrial Interval: 20 to 30-sec
R/O: mand, echoic, and sequelic function
Environmental Relations:
✗ - Restricted Access ✓ - Object Present ✗ - Fill-in-the-blank ✗ - Imitative Stimulus
Reinforcer:
✗ - Object ✓ - Generalized
Procedures:
Allow participant access to all preferred objects.
Point to the item with which the participant is engaged, and ask: “What is that?”
Reinforce responding
Referent object (FR-1)
or
Participation (VR-2)
Remove object from assessment environment and ask participant to select another item