ON TERMS AND PROCEDURES - FLUENCY

Fluency is a metaphor for flowing, effortless, well-practiced, and acc urate performance. Current practice in fluency building involves incre asing the frequency of free-operant performances. Free-operant perform ance is defined as continuous responding in the presence of discrimina tive stimuli that are either varied or not varied from response to res ponse. Free-operant performance is also distinguished from discrete-tr ial performance. Frequency-building procedures are also described, inc luding defining the learning channel and stimulus control topography o f a component performance (called a pinpoint), selecting an appropriat e timing period, and displaying stimuli so that no performance ceiling s occur. During frequency building, frequencies of pinpoints are conti nuously charred on standard celeration charts. Frequencies are increas ed to empirically derived performance standards, or aims, that predict retention, endurance, stability, application, and adduction of perfor mance. Frequency is also described as a dimension of performance, not simply its measurement. Frequency building is described as possibly fa cilitating contingency adduction.