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Are you like me and you've been wondering why massed trials seem to be the most popular format for discrete trial training? Ever think that there could be a better way? Lucky for you, this week we're using research to pit massed trials head-to-head against other DTT formats in a knock-down, drag-out cage match for the ages. Will interspersed trials cause a big upset? Can distributed trials make it to the final round? Or will massed trials dominate all comers?

Articles discussed this episode:

Henrickson, M.L., Rapp, J.T., & Ashbeck, H.A. (2015). Teaching with massed versus interspersed trials: Effects on acquisition, maintenance, and problem behavior. Behavioral Interventions, 30, 36-50. doi: 10.1002/bin.1396

Majdalany, L.N., Wilder, D.A., Greif, A., Mathisen, D., & Saini, V. (2014). Comparing massed-trial instruction, distributed-trial instruction, and task interspersal to teach tacts to children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 47, 657-662. doi: 10.1002/jaba.149

Haq, S.S., Kodak, T., Kurtz-Nelson, E., Porritt, M., Rush, K., & Cariveau, T. Comparing the effects of massed and distributed practice on skill acquisition for children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 48, 454-459. doi: 10.1002/jaba.213