Verbal segments and multiple-pair training in relational responding under a transposition paradigm in children

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Verbal segments (VS) can aid transposition responses in various tests.
• Previous studies lacked systematic evaluation of limited VS use and stimulus redundancy.
• The consistency between VS and stimulus properties may influence VS functionality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of conventional-consistent (CC), unconventional-consistent (UC), and unconventional-inconsistent (UI) verbal segments.
• To investigate the impact of training with 1 vs. 3 instance pairs on transposition tasks.
• To test the hypothesis that VS-stimulus consistency affects VS functionality.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-six children (8-9 years old) participated in a computerized transposition task.
• Stimuli varied in size, with near and far tests administered.
• Three types of verbal segments (CC, UC, UI) were used across 1 and 3 instance-pair training conditions.

Main Results:

• CC verbal segments were facilitators only when more than one stimulus pair was used in training.
• UI verbal segments interfered with the task, significantly hindering relational responding with 3 instance pairs.
• Participants trained with CCs consistently outperformed those trained with UCs, irrespective of the number of training pairs.

Conclusions:

• The relevance of verbal segments in establishing transposition responses depends on their consistency and training variability.
• Consistent verbal segments, particularly conventional-consistent ones, are more effective facilitators for transposition learning.
• Training with varied stimuli and consistent verbal cues is crucial for enhancing relational responding in children.