Intelligent Behavior Development in Elementary School Children with Reading Problems: An Interbehavioral Intervention

Abstract

Intelligent behavior has been described as effective and varied conduct in novel situations. In this pre-experimental A-B-A-C study, an intervention was conducted using the Kantor program, designed according to the principles of Kantorian interbehavioral theory. The study had two objectives: (1) to determine the effects of applying the Kantor program on the percentage of correct readings of Words with Accidents in Reading (WAR), and (2) to evaluate the percentage of correct readings of WAR by the participants in a novel situation after the program’s application, in order to confirm the development of intelligent behavior. Two boys and two girls, aged 9 to 10 years (n = 4), who presented with reading difficulties, participated in the Kantor program for six months. Subsequently, they underwent a novel situation: an extramodal and extrainstantaneous transfer test using words and fonts not used in the program. An increase in the percentage of correct readings on the WAR (Problem-Based Reading) test was observed between the pre-test and post-test in all four participants. Furthermore, a similar percentage of correct readings on the WAR test was observed between the post-test and the transfer test in three of the four participants, who demonstrated intelligent reading performance.