Stimulus generalization along a dimension based on a verbal concept

The present study examined generalization along a dimension based on a verbal concept of occupational status. The status dimension was scaled by students who placed occupation names into five status categories, Category 1 representing highest status and Category 5 the lowest status. In two experiments, key presses by students were occasionally reinforced when a slide showing an occupation name from Status Category 3 was present. For half the subjects, key presses were not reinforced during a name from Category 1; for the other half, presses were not reinforced during a name from Category 5. Occupation names from all status categories were later singly presented. In this generalization test, subjects typically divided the dimension into two parts, responding alike to all names within each part. The results suggest that generalization along a dimension in humans is mediated by a subject's verbal classifications of stimuli.