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Updated: May 23, 2026

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory
Published on: June 14, 2019
Do stimulus classes exist before they are tested?
Abstract:
This paper addresses verbal practices that are common when behavior analysis talk about stimulus classes. Specifically, we examine some of the conditions that may set the occasion for saying "Stimulus classes exist prior to the tests that document their formation." We suggest that "stimulus class" should tact behavior that is a function of training and test procedures, not entities that "form" or "exist" in any independent sense. To frame our arguments, we review relevant research findings and suggest descriptive language that is more consistent with behavior analytic traditions.
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