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COMPOUND STIMULI IN EMERGENT STIMULUS RELATIONS: EXTENDING THE SCOPE OF STIMULUS EQUIVALENCE
Author(s) -
Markham Michael R.,
Dougher Michael J.
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.1993.60-529
Subject(s) - transitive relation , equivalence relation , stimulus (psychology) , psychology , unitary state , cognitive psychology , mathematics , pure mathematics , combinatorics , political science , law
Three experiments were conducted to investigate stimulus relations that might emerge when college students are taught relations between compound sample stimuli and unitary comparison stimuli using match‐to‐sample procedures. In Experiment 1, subjects were taught nine AB‐C stimulus relations, then tested for the emergence of 18 AC‐B and BC‐A relations. All subjects showed the emergence of all tested relations. Twelve subjects participated in Experiment 2. Six subjects were taught nine AB‐C relations and were then tested for symmetrical (C‐AB) relations. Six subjects were taught nine AB‐C and three C‐D relations and were then tested for nine AB‐D (transitive) relations. Five of 6 subjects demonstrated the emergence of symmetrical relations, and 6 subjects showed the emergence of transitivity. In Experiment 3, 5 college students were taught nine AB‐C and three C‐D relations and were then tested for nine equivalence (D‐AB) relations and 18 AD‐B and BD‐A relations. Three subjects demonstrated all tested relations. One subject demonstrated the AD‐B and BD‐A relations but not the D‐AB relations. One subject did not respond systematically during testing. The results of these experiments extend stimulus equivalence research to more complex cases.