Abstract
Deficits in name-face relations are common following an acquired brain injury (ABI) and can increase secondary consequences of the injury such as depression. Neuropsychologists have evaluated several memory training strategies to rehabilitate these relations with varied success, including the generalization and maintenance of intervention effects. Within the behavior analytic literature, equivalence-based instruction (EBI) has been successful in teaching stimulus-stimulus relations for various populations including individuals with differing disabilities. However, it has been nearly 30 years since researchers have evaluated an EBI procedure to address name-face deficits with ABI survivors. This pilot study aimed to evaluate a revised EBI protocol with five neurotypical college students to allow refinement of our procedural parameters prior to conducting a clinical evaluation with ABI survivors. Our protocol included multiple exemplar training and errorless learning within a computerized simultaneous matching-to-sample procedure. All participants demonstrated equivalence among name-face relations, passed generalization probes, and maintained skills at a two-week follow-up without the need for remedial training. However, one participant required a few procedural modifications, and an error analysis, as well as post-session survey results indicate that researchers should continue refining the parameters of EBI with college students before implementing the procedure with ABI survivors. Additional modifications for both college students and ABI survivors are discussed.