Anna Ingeborg Pétursdóttir |
![[picture]](anna.jpg) |
I study child behavior and language from an operant learning perspective.
My major research interests pertain to translating advances in basic research
and theory into intervention strategies (e.g., language interventions for
children with autism). In spite of my background in applied behavior analysis,
most of my research is not strictly applied. For example, I have tested
analog models of language instruction, often involving arbitrary stimuli
and nonsense words, on young children without language impairments, to investigate
how the establishment of specific behavior-environment relations may result
in the emergence of novel behavior. In this work, I have drawn upon B.F.
Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior and recent extensions of it, as well
as upon basic behavior-analytic research on derived stimulus relations.
In my experimental preparations, I emphasize the training and testing of
vocal behavior, as opposed to using a match-to-sample format. Other language-related
interests of mine include methods for increasing vocal play among non-speaking
children, and the development of effective stimulus control technology for
teaching purposes. Besides language, I am interested in various aspects
of children's performance on basic reinforcement schedules, and its implications
for treating maladaptive behavior.
Selected Publications:
Petursdottir, A. I., Carr, J. E., Lechago, S. A., & Almason, S. M. (in press).
An evaluation of intraverbal training and listener training for teaching
categorization skills. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. [PDF
Version]
Miguel, C. F., Petursdottir, A. I., Carr, J. E., & Michael, J. (in press).
The role of naming in stimulus categorization by preschool children. Journal
of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. [PDF
Version]
Petursdottir, A. I., Carr, J. E., & Michael, J. (2005). Emergence of mands
and tacts of novel objects among preschool children. The Analysis of
Verbal Behavior, 21, 59-74. [PDF Version]
Miguel, C. F., Petursdottir, A. I., & Carr, J. E. (2005). The effects of
multiple-tact and receptive-discrimination training on the acquisition of
intraverbal behavior. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 21, 27-41.