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editorial
. 2004 Spring;27(1):7–23. doi: 10.1007/BF03392086

Effects of rate building on fluent performance: A review and commentary

Shannon S Doughty, Philip N Chase, Elizabethann M O'Shields
PMCID: PMC2755355  PMID: 22478412

Abstract

The use of rate-building procedures to encourage the production of high response rates and to develop fluency has been increasingly justified by research on precision teaching and automaticity. Rate-building procedures often ensure both speed and accuracy, and claims have been made that such procedures result in greater retention, persistence, and generalization of trained skills, as well as preference by students. Given the potential importance of these claims for behavior analysts and educators alike, this review assesses the validity, generality, and implications of research on rate building. The review revealed sparse empirical evidence that retention, persistence, and generalization of skills result from the use of rate-building procedures when the effects of practice and reinforcement rate are controlled. Given the results of this review, the implications are discussed in the context of behavior-analytic research (e.g., behavioral momentum), and further research is recommended.

Keywords: rate building, fluency, education, behavior analysis, practice, response strength

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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