Teaching participants with developmental disabilities to comply with self-instructions

Four adults with mild mental retardation were taught to sort based on what two pictures had in common and to name each object and common features of t wo pairs as well as to comply with a series of instructions to sort the pic tures selectively. The criterion task was to inspect a sample pair, sort th rough a deck of 15 pictures to find those showing what the sample pair had in common; and to repeat a series of pairs. They failed this task and conti nued to fail even after a supposedly relevant self-instruction. After being taught to act on what they told themselves, they self-instructed correctly and sorted accordingly. Imperfect generalization by 2 participants was rem ediated by re-evoking self-instructions. They were taught to act an what th ey told themselves; thereafter, they self-instructed correctly and sorted a ccordingly. Imperfect generalization by 2 participants was remediated by re -evoking the relevant self-instructions.