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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 20, 2026

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE

Published on: May 14, 2019

Stimulus equivalence, generalization, and contextual stimulus control in verbal classes.

Zuilma Gabriela Sigurðardóttir¹, Harry A Mackay, Gina Green

¹University of Iceland.

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior

|July 4, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Stimulus generalization and contextual control are key to forming equivalence classes. Participants accurately matched Icelandic nouns, demonstrating learning with both singular and plural forms, and later sorted them by gender and number.

Keywords:

contextual control of class membership generalization across tasks humans language learning primary stimulus generalization stimulus equivalence verbal classes

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Cognitive Science
Linguistics

Background:

Equivalence class formation is crucial for understanding complex cognitive processes.
Stimulus generalization and contextual control are known factors influencing learning and behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate stimulus generalization in equivalence class formation.
To examine the role of contextual control in sorting stimuli based on number and gender.

Main Methods:

Adults completed computerized matching-to-sample tasks with Icelandic nouns, words, and pictures.
Stimulus generalization was tested using plural forms without additional training.
Contextual control was assessed by training participants to sort stimuli by number or gender under different conditions.

Main Results:

Participants demonstrated high accuracy in generalization tests with plural stimuli.
Contextual control training enabled participants to correctly sort stimuli by number and gender.
Performance remained accurate when switching from printed words to pictures.

Conclusions:

Stimulus generalization readily occurs from trained equivalence classes.
Contextual control can be effectively trained to sort stimuli based on specific features like number and gender.
These findings contribute to understanding the flexibility and robustness of learned associations.