Association for Behavior Analysis International

The main purpose of the present symposium is to present how different variables could influence emergent relations like stimulus equivalence. The first paper by ARNTZEN and Røraas Strand presents an experiment studying test order as a variable that can influence the forming of equivalence classes and the correspondence between MTS and sorting tests. The main findings show a high correspondence between test formats. In the second paper, Carvalho, Sabino, Bernardy, and TOMANARI present an experiment focusing on the efficiency of simple simultaneous and successive discrimination procedures in stimulus control. The main findings indicate that simultaneous discrimination procedures enhance discriminative learning, which can be valuable in both applied and experimental settings. The third paper by FIELDS analyzes one of the four parameters (Fields & Verhave, 1987) that could influence responding in accordance with stimulus equivalence, that is, the distribution of singles on equivalence class formation. The last paper by VAIDYA explores facilitation and retardation effects in reaction times by the mechanisms of class conflict and class cohesion. It will offering a behavioral interpretation reaction times in complex cognitive tasks.

Attendees must know about the basics regarding the formation of equivalence classes.

The structure of any equivalence class is defined by four parameters (a) number of class members, (b) the number of nodes in a class, (c) training directionality, and (d) the distribution of singles attached by training to a node. To date, many studies have shown that variation in the values of the first three parameters influences the likelihood of class formation and/or the relatedness of stimuli in a class. To date, the effects of the fourth, the distribution of singles, on equivalence-based performances have received minimal attention. The only exception is Nedelcu, Fields, and Arntzen (2015). This presentation will consider the fourth parameter in detail, review the findings presented by Nedelcu, et al (2015), indicate how some other published studies might also reflect the effects of density of singles on class formation, suggest how singles density can account for the enhancement of class formation by meaningful stimuli, and finally, suggest some new studies that might show additional effects of density of singles on equivalence class formation.

This paper will explore facilitation and retardation effects in reaction times through the lens of Sidman's concept of stimulus equivalence. In experimental psychology, phenomena such as semantic priming and the Stroop effect demonstrate how reaction times can be either accelerated or delayed based on the relations among stimuli. Facilitation effects occur when stimuli are from the same category or class, enhancing processing speed, while retardation effects are observed when stimuli are from different categories, leading to slower reaction times. Sidman’s framework offers a fruitful context for understanding these effects. This paper will suggest that Sidman’s formulation gives rise to two organizing principles – class conflict and class cohesion – that might help facilitate our understanding of the reaction time data coming from studies in cognitive psychology. By examining the ways in which equivalence class formation influences facilitation and retardation, this exploration aims to determine whether and to what extent data reported in the cognitive literature are interpretable in terms of class cohesion and class conflict. By framing these reaction time effects in the context of stimulus equivalence, this research will provide new insights into how learned associations between stimuli can organize responses often taken as evidence of cognitive processes, offering a behavioral interpretation of category-based facilitation and retardation in complex cognitive tasks.