Psychology in
the
Schools
Volume
23,
January
1986
MODELING AND MENTAL
AND LEARNING
IMAGERY
USE
BY MULTIPLY HANDICAPPED
DISABLED PRESCHOOL CHILDREN
LARRY
E.
GREESON
Miami
University
Multiply handicapped mentally retarded and learning disabled preschool children
participated in a series
of
learning tasks designed to clarify task-related effects
of
modeling-based mental imagery training experiences.
A
modified single-subject
multiple-baseline design was employed with alternating baseline and treatment ses-
sions occurring for tasks involving uncategorized recall, categorized recall, and paired
associates learning. Facilitative effects of modeling were found to occur
for
all learn-
ing tasks. Facilitation
of
learning was most apparent for associative learning and with
learning disabled subjects. The findings are discussed in terms
of
the viability
of
in-
structional modeling and mental imagery processes as factors in the education
of
children with problems in learning, language, and cognition.
The present study investigated the effects of modeling
on
the development of men-
tal imagery learning skills by a population of children generally overlooked in applied
educational and psychological research
-
the multiply handicapped preschool age child.
While some information is available concerning the potential malleability
of
young hand-
icapped children (Garwood,
1979),
little is known concerning their capacity for using
various types of symbolic representational strategies in learning. This is unfortunate,
in that the well-being
of
preschool aged handicapped children has become increasingly
important to psychologists and educators since the passage of Public Law
94-142,
the
Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Moreover, young multiply handicapped
children might be conceptualized as both the most needy and the most likely to benefit
from
systematically applied, research-based techniques
of
cognitive instruction and
training.
In particular, young mentally retarded children might be expected to benefit from
instruction and training in the use of mental imagery skills, in that their learning strategies
often reflect a concrete level of cognitive functioning (Greeson
&
Jens,
1977).
It has
been suggested that imagery skills affect the information processing strategies
of
learn-
ing disabled children as well (Dunlap
&
Brennan,
1979;
Forest,
1981;
Gearheart,
1981).
However, the learning and information processing capabilities of multiply handicapped
and learning disabled youngsters are often unclear. This problem
is
complicated fur-
ther by the wide variation
of
abilities within the same handicapped category.
The present study employed a series of three learning tasks, ranging from simple
free recall, to categorized recall, to paired associates (PA) learning in order to explore
task-related instructional effects with multiply handicapped mentally retarded and learn-
ing disabled youngsters.
Imagery was selected as the target behavior because imagery processes have been
proven to facilitate the development of many educationally related skills, ranging from
creativity to general level
of
cognitive functioning (Gerler,
1984;
Greeson
&
Zigarmi,
1985;
Pressley,
1977).
Modeling was chosen as the training variable because this ap-
proach has been found to be effective in developing complex cognitive skills with many
Reprint requests should be sent to Larry
E.
Greeson, Dept. of Educational Psychology, Miami Univer-
sity, Middletown Campus,
4200
E. University Blvd., Middletown,
OH
45042.
82