Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The relation between stimulus function and equivalence class formation.

Ian T Tyndall1, Bryan Roche, Jack E James

  • 1National University of Ireland, Galway, Department of Psychology. Ian.Tyndall@nuigalway.ie

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|September 11, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Maternal Caffeine Consumption and Pregnancy Outcomes.

Advances in experimental medicine and biology·2026
Same author

Caffeine, Daytime Sleepiness, and Conduct Problems Among Early Adolescents: A Longitudinal Analysis.

The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine·2025
Same author

Adolescent caffeine use and problematic school behavior: A longitudinal analysis of student survey data and teacher observations.

Journal of adolescence·2024
Same author

How to Build and How not to Build an Implicit Measure in Behavior Analysis: A case Study Using the Function Acquisition Speed Test.

Perspectives on behavior science·2023
Same author

Usability and acceptability of a cognitive training intervention (SMART) for people with multiple sclerosis (MS): A prefeasibility formative evaluation.

NIHR open research·2023
Same author

A Process-Based Analysis of Cognitive Defusion in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Behavior therapy·2023
Same journal

The Genoeconomics of Impulsive Intertemporal Choice: A Critical Review.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

Shaping the extinction burst: Increasing its probability and preventing its emergence across topographies.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

Evaluating the combined effects of effort and probability on monetary discounting.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

An improved translational approach to studying persistence-strengthening effects of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

Interactions between the effects of food and water motivating operations on concurrent food- and water-reinforced responding in mice.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

Odor-visual and visual-visual matching to sample with dogs.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
See all related articles

Stimulus equivalence formation is slower when stimuli share similar functions or are novel. The number of established similar stimulus functions also impacts acquisition speed, influencing how equivalence relations emerge.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Learning Sciences
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Stimulus equivalence is a fundamental concept in behavior analysis, referring to the emergence of untrained relations between stimuli.
  • Understanding factors that influence the formation of stimulus equivalence is crucial for applied behavior analysis and education.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how the functional properties of stimuli affect the acquisition of stimulus equivalence.
  • To examine the impact of stimulus similarity and novelty on the number of trials required for equivalence formation.

Main Methods:

  • Fifty participants underwent discrimination training to establish positive (S+) and negative (S-) stimulus functions.
  • Participants were then assigned to one of five conditions involving stimulus equivalence training and testing with varying combinations of S+ and S- stimuli.

Related Experiment Videos

  • A control group used stimuli without established functions.

    • Main Results:

    • Fewer testing trials were needed to establish equivalence relations when stimuli were functionally different compared to functionally similar.
    • Novel arbitrary stimuli required more test trials for equivalence formation than functionally distinct stimuli.
    • The speed of stimulus equivalence acquisition was influenced by the number of pre-established functionally similar stimuli.

    Conclusions:

    • The functional class of stimuli significantly impacts the emergence and acquisition of stimulus equivalence relations.
    • Stimulus similarity and novelty are key factors that can impede or facilitate equivalence formation.
    • These findings have implications for designing effective training procedures in educational and therapeutic settings.