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Equivalence relations and the reinforcement contingency.

¹New England Center for Children, Southborough, Massachusetts 01772-2108, USA.

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

|August 31, 2000

Summary

Equivalence relations emerge directly from reinforcement contingencies, producing units of analysis and ordered pairs of elements. This framework offers new ways to understand stimulus control in operant behavior.

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Area of Science:

Behavioral Psychology
Learning Theory
Cognitive Science

Background:

Equivalence relations are fundamental in understanding complex behavior.
Their origin, particularly in relation to reinforcement, remains a key question in behavioral science.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose and investigate the origin of equivalence relations from reinforcement contingencies.
To offer a new conceptualization of stimulus control in operant behavior.

Main Methods:

The study posits that reinforcement contingencies yield specific units of analysis (e.g., operant reinforcement, discriminations).
It also suggests these contingencies produce ordered pairs forming equivalence relations.

Main Results:

A theoretical framework is presented where equivalence relations are a direct product of reinforcement contingencies.
This conception allows for novel approaches to analyzing stimulus control.

Conclusions:

Equivalence relations can be understood as arising directly from the structure of reinforcement contingencies.
The proposed theory is experimentally testable and falsifiable, advancing the study of behavior.

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