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Extinction of a response in the presence of one stimulus in an equivalence class can transfer to other related stimuli, but difficulties in establishing extinction can compromise analyses. The present study evaluated the transfer of avoidance extinction with two extinction procedures. In particular, avoidance or nonavoidance was always (Experiment 1) and never (Experiment 2) followed by point loss in the crucial extinction test phase. Both experiments began with the establishment of two equivalence classes with four abstract figures in each (A1-B1-C1-D1 and A2-B2-C2-D2). Clicking a button to avoid loss of points was trained with B1 and subsequently observed without direct training in the presence of C1 and D1. Extinction was then conducted with one group of participants with stimuli that underwent avoidance training (direct extinction with B1 and B2) and with another group with stimuli who did not undergo avoidance training (derived extinction with C1 and C2). Finally, the transfer of extinction was evaluated with stimuli from both classes. In Experiment 1, 10 of 14 participants met the avoidance extinction criteria, and the transfer of extinction occurred for 2 (1 in the direct and 1 in the derived extinction group). In Experiment 2, 10 of 13 participants met the avoidance extinction criteria, and the transfer of extinction occurred for 6 (5 in the direct and 1 in the derived extinction group). Overall, the transfer of extinction occurred only with the combination of an extinction procedure without aversive events and direct extinction. Keywords Avoidance * Extinction * Equivalence * Transfer * Fear * Human, According to Sidman (1994), equivalence classes are established when arbitrary conditional relations between stimuli are trained (e.g., A-B and B-C), and new relations that were not directly trained emerge in [...]

The present study investigated whether the Go/No-Go procedure with compound stimuli produces emergent relations among dictated words (A), pictures (B), and printed words (C) and the emergence of textual behavior (CD) using a multiple probe design across word sets. Three preschool children were exposed to 4 phases: (1) pretests for BC, CB, and CD relations, (2) pretraining with known stimuli, (3) AB and AC training, and (4) posttests for BC, CB, and CD relations. During AB and AC training, responses to A1B1, A2B2, A1C1, and A2C2 compound stimuli, but not to A1B2, A2B1, A1C2, and A2C1, were reinforced. The results showed that all participants met the learning criterion and demonstrated emergence of BC and CB relations (i.e., relations between pictures and printed words), and CD relations (i.e., textual behavior) after training. These results suggest that the Go/No-Go procedure with compound stimuli is an effective alternative for establishing reading comprehension.

The present study evaluated whether transfer of the avoidance response in equivalence classes is produced using the loss of points as the aversive stimulus. In the first phase of the experiment, 11 participants established two equivalence classes with four visual abstract stimuli each (Class 1: A1,B1,C1,D1; Class 2: A2, B2, C2, D2). In the second phase of the experiment, only one visual stimulus (B1) was paired with point loss. An avoidance response to B1 was then established. In the third phase of the experiment, the other stimuli were presented in a transfer of avoidance test. An avoidance response was established for all 11 participants, and the transfer of avoidance occurred for 10 of them. These results indicate that point loss can function as an effective aversive stimulus to maintain an avoidance response and produce transfer of the avoidance function in equivalence classes. The use of point loss may be a valuable tool in human operant research to substitute for other aversive stimuli with undesirable side effects. Keywords Equivalence * Transfer * Avoidance * Points, The matching-to-sample procedure establishes directly taught conditional relations and emergent conditional relations. Once symmetry, transitivity, and equivalence relations are detected, equivalence classes are assumed to be established (Sidman & Tailby, [...]

The present study compared the direct and derived extinction of avoidance responses in equivalence classes. Two classes with four abstract figures in each class (Class 1: A1-B1-C1-D1; Class 2: A2-B2-C2-D2) were first established. An avoidance response that was trained in the presence of one stimulus (B1) was emitted under control of the other stimuli from the same class (C1 and D1). The subjects were then assigned to two different groups (Direct Extinction Group and Derived Extinction Group). Different extinction procedures were implemented for each group. In the Direct Extinction Group, B1 was presented in extinction. In the Derived Extinction Group, C1 was presented in extinction. Finally, the transfer of extinction was evaluated in the presence of the other stimuli from each class. In the Direct Extinction Group, avoidance responses were extinguished for 4 of the 16 participants in the presence of B1. In the Derived Extinction Group, avoidance responses were extinguished for 10 of the 16 participants in the presence of C1. The results indicated that derived extinction occurred more easily than direct extinction. Considering that avoidance responses were extinguished only for a few participants, future studies should implement more efficient procedures to establish avoidance extinction and then evaluate possible differences between derived and direct extinction in the transfer of extinction. Keywords Equivalence * Transfer * Avoidance * Extinction, Studies about equivalence relations (e.g., Sidman, 1994) and other derived stimulus relations (e.g., Hayes, Bames-Holmes, & Roche, 2001) have found that after directly training some arbitrary relations between stimuli, other [...]

Past research has demonstrated emergent conditional relations using a go/no-go procedure with pairs of figures displayed side-by-side on a computer screen. The present study sought to extend applications of this procedure. In Experiment 1, we evaluated whether emergent conditional relations could be demonstrated when two-component stimuli were displayed in figure-ground relationships--abstract figures displayed on backgrounds of different colors. Five normally capable adults participated. During training, each two-component stimulus was presented successively. Responses emitted in the presence of some stimulus pairs (A1B1, A2B2, A3B3, B1C1, B2C2 and B3C3) were reinforced, whereas responses emitted in the presence of other pairs (A1B2, A1B3, A2B1, A2B3, A3B1, A3B2, B1C2, B1C3, B2C1, B2C3, B3C1 and B3C2) were not. During tests, new configurations (AC and CA) were presented, thus emulating structurally the matching-to-sample tests employed in typical equivalence studies. All participants showed emergent relations consistent with stimulus equivalence during testing. In Experiment 2, we systematically replicated the procedures with stimulus compounds consisting of four figures (A1, A2, C1 and C2) and two locations (left--B1 and right--B2). All 6 normally capable adults exhibited emergent stimulus-stimulus relations. Together, these experiments show that the go/no-go procedure is a potentially useful alternative for studying emergent conditional relations when matching-to-sample is procedurally cumbersome or impossible to use. (Contains 5 tables and 5 figures.)

The go/no-go with compound stimuli is an alternative to matching-to-sample to produce conditional and emergent relations in adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this procedure with two children diagnosed with autism. We trained and tested participants to respond to conditional relations among arbitrary stimuli using the go/no-go procedure. Both learned all the trained conditional relations without developing response bias or responding to no-go trials. Participants demonstrated performance consistent with symmetry, but not equivalence.

The study investigated whether the go/no-go procedure with compound stimuli would produce emergent relations among dictated word (A), picture (B) and printed word (C). The emergence of textual behavior (CD) was also evaluated. Eight children from 4 to 5 years old were submitted to AB and AC training, followed by tests of BC, CB, and CD relations. During AB and AC training, a compound stimulus (formed of auditory and visual stimuli) was successively presented in each trial. Responses were differentially reinforced in the presence of 'related' compounds (e.g., A1B1 and A2B2 in AB training), but not in the presence of 'unrelated' compounds (e.g., A1B2 and A2B1). In BC and CB tests, the compounds were formed of a picture and a printed word side by side. Finally, tests of CD relations were conducted (textual behavior). The results showed that all the children met the learning criteria and showed emergence of BC, CB, and CD relations. The data also indicated the feasibility of the go/no-go procedure in producing emergent performance in reading. Keywords Reading * Stimulus equivalence * Go/no-go * Compound * Preschool children, Skinner (1957) introduced the term textual behavior to refer to a verbal response (vocal, subvocal, or gestural) under the control of a text (a visual stimulus) or even a tactual [...]

A go/no-go procedure with compound stimuli typically establishes emergent behavior that parallels in structure and typical outcome that of conventional tests for symmetric, transitive, and equivalence relations in normally capable adults. The present study employed a go/no-go compound stimulus procedure with pigeons. During training, pecks to two-component compounds A1B1, A2B2, B1C1, and B2C2 were followed by food. Pecks to compounds A1B2, A2B1, B1C2, and B2C1 re-started the 30-s stimulus presentation interval. The absence of pecking to those compounds for 30 s ended the trial. Subsequent tests presented these components in new spatial arrangements and/or in recombinative compounds that together corresponded to conventional tests of symmetry, transitivity, and equivalence: B1A1, B2A2, C1B1, C2B2, A1C1, A2C2, C1A1, C2A2 vs. B1A2, B2A1, C1B2, C2B1, A1C2, A2C1, C1A2, C2A1 (positive vs. negative instances of symmetric, transitive, and equivalence relations). On tests for symmetric relations, all pigeons behaved in a manner consistent with training on both positive instances (i.e., by responding) and on negative instances (i.e., by not responding). By contrast, the pigeons' behavior on tests for transitivity and equivalence was inconsistent with baseline training, thus failing to show the recombinative discrimination performance that is typical of normally capable humans when trained and tested using the go/no-go procedure with compound stimuli. (Contains 5 figures.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether emergent conditional relations could be established with a go/no-go procedure using compound abstract stimuli. The procedure was conducted with 6 adult humans. During training, responses emitted in the presence of certain stimulus compounds (A1B1, A2B2, A3B3, B1C1, B2C2, and B3C3) were followed by reinforcing consequences (points); responses emitted in the presence of other compounds (A1B2, A1B3, A2B1, A2B3, A3B1, A3B2, B1C2, B1C3, B2C1, B2C3, B3C1 and B3C2) were not (i.e., extinction). During subsequent tests of emergent relations, new configurations (BA, CB, AC, and CA relations) were presented, formed by the recombination of training stimuli and structurally resembling tests usually employed in stimulus equivalence studies. Results showed that all 6 participants displayed immediate emergence of relations consistent with symmetry. Four participants exhibited emergent relations consistent with both transitivity and equivalence. These results indicate that a go/no-go procedure with compound stimuli can establish emergent conditional relations, thus providing a procedural alternative to the matching-to-sample procedures commonly used in studies of stimulus equivalence. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

When the matching-to-sample (MTS) procedure is used, different training structures imply differences in the successive discriminations required in training and test conditions. When the go/no-go procedure with compound stimuli is used, however, differences in training structures do not imply such differences. This study assessed whether the go/no-go procedure with compound stimuli with different training structures would produce significant variations in emergent performances. Fourteen undergraduate students were divided into 2 training groups: one-to-many (OTM) and many-to-one (MTO). During training, responses emitted in the presence of compounds defined as Related were reinforced. Responses emitted in the presence of compounds defined as Not Related were not. During tests, new compounds structurally emulated MTS equivalence tests. Participants finished training with comparable numbers of sessions, and 13 showed emergent performances. These results suggest that differences in equivalence test outcomes with different training structures in MTS procedures may be due to their different successive discrimination requirements. Key words: go/no-go, compound stimuli, training structure, equivalence, human, To study formation of equivalence classes, the minimum prerequisites are (1) two conditional discriminations having elements in common (nodes) and (2) tests for emergent performances consistent with reflexivity, symmetry, and [...]

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Copyright of Acta Comportamentalia is the property of Instituto de Psicologia y Educacion de la Universidad Veracruzana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present study assessed whether simple discrimination training with differential responses would produce functional and equivalence classes with preschool children. In Experiment 1, we exposed 10 children to simple successive discrimination training in which they had to press different buttons (selection‐based responses). Response 1 (R1) was reinforced only in the presence of A1, B1, or C1, and Response 2 (R2) was reinforced only in the presence of A2, B2, or C2. We assessed the formation of functional classes by training new selection responses in the presence of one member of each class (A1‐R3, A2‐R4) and testing to see if these responses would occur in the presence of other members. Eight children responded consistently with functional class formation. Four of these eight children also responded consistently with the formation of equivalence classes. Experiment 2 investigated whether differential motor responses (i.e., gestures) would improve equivalence class yields. Three of six children showed both functional and equivalence class formation. In general, the results indicate that the simple discrimination procedure with differential responses yielded functional and equivalence class formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Comportamentalia is the property of Instituto de Psicologia y Educacion de la Universidad Veracruzana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present study investigated whether simple discrimination procedures produce emergent relations that are consistent with functional and equivalence classes. In Experiment 1, 4 normally capable adults were exposed to simple successive discrimination reversal training. Responses to the S (A1, B1, and C1) but not S (A2, B2, and C2) were reinforced. The participants were then exposed to repeated-reversal training, followed by tests of emergent equivalence relations. In Experiment 2, 4 additional adults were exposed to a simple successive discrimination training procedure using differential responses. Response 1 (R1) was reinforced only when emitted in the presence of A1, B1, or C1 (A1-R1, B1-R1, or C1-R1). Response 2 (R2) was reinforced only in the presence of A2, B2, or C2 (A2-R2, B2-R2, or C2-R2). A new response was then trained in the presence of 1 member of each class (A1-R3, A2-R4). A transfer-of-function test was then conducted to verify whether the new responses would be emitted in the presence of B1, B2, C1, and C2. In both experiments, emergent conditional relations were tested using a go/no-go procedure with compound stimuli. In Experiment 1, all of the participants showed functional classes, and 3 showed patterns that are consistent with the formation of equivalence classes. In Experiment 2, all 4 participants showed patterns that are consistent with functional and equivalence class formation. In these experiments, simple discrimination training generated a range of emergent stimulus relations that mirrored those that are indicative of equivalence class formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Comportamentalia is the property of Instituto de Psicologia y Educacion de la Universidad Veracruzana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)