Stimulus Equivalence

Question 1

Higher order classes of behaviour also known as:

Answer 1

Generalised operants

e.g., rule governed behaviour, imitation, concept formation, categorisation, stimulus equivalence

Question 2

Generalised Operants:
Contingencies apply to the class of behaviours, not just the…
Generalisation not based on topographical features but…

Answer 2

individual instance of a behaviour.

multiple exemplar training from which a common feature is extracted

Question 3

Higher order classes of behaviour:

Contingencies may operate…

Answer 3

differently for the class of behaviour than for specific instances.

Question 4

Concepts & Categories

1. Perceptual Concept
2. Associative Concept

Answer 4

dimensional category (shades of colour or wavelengths of colour where stimuli can be seen along a continuum (e.g., brightness, or colour; property of the stimulus and can compare stimuli along the dimensions) and natural category (basic level category, natural kind, or fuzzy class)

functional equivalence classes and stimulus equivalence classes

Question 5

Functional Equivalence Classes
Categories of arbitrary stimuli that…
If the function of one class member is altered, then…

Answer 5

control the same function
the new function will transfer to other class members
the same function or engender the same response.

Question 6

Functional Equivalence Classes
Stimuli which serve…
e.g., STOP

Answer 6

no physical properties that make it similar to a school patrol sign, traffic light or hand
nothing physically related to these stimuli that you could see that would tell you it’s function
have to have learned that these stimuli’s all have the same function

Question 7

Functional Equivalence Classes
studied using…

slide 11, 12 and 13

Answer 7

simple discriminations & stimulus-response relations

Question 8

Functional Equivalence Classes:

Herrnstein Procedure for concept development

Answer 8

S+ responses reinforced
S- responses in extinction

Showed picture on screen, if tree present, press button > reinforced
Showed novel slide able to respond (perceptual concept)

Question 9

Functional Equivalence Classes
Vaughan (1988) used arbitrary stimuli.

S+ = square, arrow, moon (go)
S- = diamond, circle, plus (stop)

arbitrary stimuli, unable to identify stimuli function
pigeons unaware whether square is ‘go’ or ‘stop’

if there is a change in the function of one of the arbitrary stimuli will the pigeons realise all of the elements within that class have a changed function?

Learned the set trained
S+ reversals acquired after one trial!

Answer 9

If they do - conclude that established functional equivalence (established that set of stimuli that belong together that serve as the same function)

Changed the functions of the sets 
Pigeons learned the individual relations, that each stimuli means ‘go’ in one class and each stimuli means ‘stop’ in another class. They put together all the stimuli in a group – which means functional equivalence

Question 10

Stimulus Equivalence:
An individual learns to respond to…
BUT…

e.g., 3 stimuli (A1, B1, and C1), train these three stimuli to belong in the same stimulus equivalence set.
A1 (undermatching) is equal to B1 (a graph with a slope less than 1) with an equation with value less than 1

Answer 10

all stimuli in a set as if they are interchangeable

only some of the relations are trained!

Question 11

Stimulus Equivalence Classes:

Defined by…

Answer 11

reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity (emergent behaviours) between stimulus class members.

Question 12

Slide 19 to 25

Answer 12

Slide 19 to 25

Question 13

Functional Equivalence Classes vs Stimulus Equivalence Classes

Simple discriminations to establish…
Conditional discriminations to establish….

S-S relations can lead to…

Answer 13

stimulus-response relations
stimulus-stimulus relations.

functional change if one stimuli of a stimulus equivalence relation is attached to a function because all the stimuli will attach to that function

Question 14

Slide 27 and 28

Answer 14

Slide 27 and 28

Question 15

Functional Equivalence ClassesvsStimulus Equivalence Classes:
Functional equivalence =

Stimulus equivalence classes comprise of arbitrary stimuli that substitutable for….

This is a….

Answer 15

stimuli serve the same function.
one another within a specified context. Functions of the stimuli may then also be transferred.

discriminated operant
In a child all of the functions do not transfer, learn that it is discriminated operant
e.g., see a picture of a chair, do not sit on it, a child does attempt to sit on the chair (apply all of the functions)
e.g., a child sees a picture of an ice cream and licks the book, the child has acquired the function of an ice cream and apply it. Belongs to the same equivalence set

Question 16

Stimulus Equivalence Research Directions
1. the investigation of the relationship between naming and/or language and stimulus equivalence behaviour

2. stimulus equivalence as a subset of relational framing
3. stimulus equivalence as a learning tool
4. stimulus equivalence as an explanation of more complex cognitive functioning

Answer 16

Language based examples
Stimulus equivalence works beyond language
Does stimulus equivalence facilitate language?
Given a training situation taught A was to B and B was to C, the ability to given that information to make the derived relations do you need that ability before being able to acquire language or need to be able to acquire language before doing stimulus equivalence

Question 17

Identity Matching or Reflexivity

This pigeon has learned: red circle > red circle

Answer 17

In this case, the pigeon has learned the procedure (general learning) ‘choose the same as the sample’
So, green circle > green circle
This is identity matching or reflexivity.

Question 18

Stimulus Equivalence Classes
Pigeons (and rats) can also form…
are capable of…
BUT…

Answer 18

functional equivalence classes
reflexivity
they have not reliably demonstrated a capacity for symmetry or transitivity.

Question 19

Symmetry
As an infant, Kanzi watched his mother undergo language training.
Training task:
X, Line > Fish, O

Answer 19

Emergent Symmetry
Food, Line > Fish, Hat
Kanzi was capable of selecting the fish and showing symmetry

Question 20

Stimulus Equivalence Research
Are non-human animals capable of equivalence responding? Ai (chimp)
Stimuli were colours, lexigrams and chinese characters.
After training in A->B relations B->A symmetry was…
After explicitly training B->A relations for some relationships, symmetry…
After training in B->C relations, transitivity (A->C)…

Suggested it was a built-in mechanism (hard-wired template to do stimulus equivalence)
This study suggested an alternative explanation that it is a…
Apes given opportunity to learn symmetry by training and reinforcement – symmetry occurred

BUT
Another study failed to find symmetry in language trained chimps even with…

Answer 20

not emergent.
was observed in remaining probes thus multiple exemplar training may be effective for teaching symmetry.
emerged, but the reverse relationship C->A (equivalence) did not.

Ai is also capable of symmetry

generalised operant

multiple exemplar training.

Question 21

Sea Lion Study:
Rocky and Rio trained to recognise...
After training, on reversal, the subjects needed... 
Reinforcers were specific to....
Classes transferred to match to... 
Novel stimuli added to the classes by bidirectional linkage with the tenth member to see if untrained relations would emerge 
Rio was correct on...
Study shows

Answer 21

two functional classes of 10 objects each (either letters or numbers).
only one trial to learn which category was the new S+.
class
sample training (conditional discriminations).
100% of trials, while Rocky was correct on 91% of trials.

stimulus equivalence as an explanation of more complex cognitive functioning

Question 22

Does stimulus equivalence underlie cognitive constructs?

Answer 22

• alter existing beliefs and attitudes towards a soft drink
• can create false memories for photographs.
• can transfer subjective positive and negative mood states to previously neutral stimuli