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ASSESSING CONTROL BY ELEMENTS OF COMPLEX STIMULI IN DELAYED MATCHING TO SAMPLE
Author(s) -
Stromer Robert,
Mcilvane William J.,
Dube William V.,
Mackay Harry A.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.1993.59-83
Subject(s) - stimulus control , discriminative model , stimulus (psychology) , psychology , stimulus generalization , reinforcement , audiology , cognitive psychology , artificial intelligence , computer science , neuroscience , social psychology , perception , medicine , nicotine
A series of six experiments examined delayed identity matching‐to‐sample performances of subjects with mental retardation. The stimuli were either one or two simultaneously displayed forms. When the reinforcement contingencies required that only one form exert discriminative control, all subjects achieved high accuracy scores. However, accuracy scores were substantially lower when the contingencies required discriminative control by two forms, suggesting restricted stimulus control. The decline in matching accuracy appeared to reflect selective losses of conditional control by sample stimuli and shifts in control to features of the comparison stimulus displays. The experiments suggest improved techniques for assessing control by complex stimuli and for evaluating the effects of procedures that seek to broaden restricted stimulus control. The results challenge interpretations based on stimulus‐generalization decrement or shared attention.