The use of photographs as occupational stimuli

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential of photographic stimuli portraying well-known occupational activities in order to elicit vocationally relevant responses. Color photographs of persons performing occupational tasks or activities were the stimuli used to determine if aspects of the photographs would elicit discriminating responses. Eighty special education high school students were asked individually to respond to 15 color photographs. Out of a maximum of 1200 possible picture identifications, 35 responses were scored incorrect or unknown as to content. These results indicated 97.1% effectiveness in identifying the stimulus content by this population. Therefore, photographs consisting of occupational content can discriminate as stimuli by eliciting content-appropriate responses. Implications for further research and application of this finding are discussed.