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EQUIVALENCE CLASSIFICATION BY CALIFORNIA SEA LIONS USING CLASS‐SPECIFIC REINFORCERS
Author(s) -
Kastak Colleen Reichmuth,
Schusterman Ronald J.,
Kastak David
Publication year - 2001
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.2001.76-131
Subject(s) - functional equivalence , psychology , equivalence class (music) , equivalence relation , discrimination learning , equivalence (formal languages) , stimulus (psychology) , cognitive psychology , reinforcement , social psychology , developmental psychology , mathematics , pure mathematics , linguistics , philosophy
The ability to group dissimilar stimuli into categories on the basis of common stimulus relations (stimulus equivalence) or common functional relations (functional equivalence) has been convincingly demonstrated in verbally competent subjects. However, there are investigations with verbally limited humans and with nonhuman animals that suggest that the formation and use of classification schemes based on equivalence does not depend on linguistic skills. The present investigation documented the ability of two California sea lions to classify stimuli into functional classes using a simple discrimination reversal procedure. Following the formation of functional classes in this context, the second experiment showed transfer of the relations that emerged between class members to a matching‐to‐sample procedure. The third experiment demonstrated that the functional classes could be expanded through traditionally defined equivalence relations. In these three experiments, appropriate within‐class responding produced class‐specific food reinforcers. Experiment 3 addressed the role of these reinforcers in equivalence classification and showed that the class‐specific reinforcers were sufficient to relate new stimuli to the functional classes. These findings show that sea lions can form equivalence classes in simple and conditional discrimination procedures, and that class‐specific reinforcers can become equivalence class members.