Whelan Robert, Barnes-Holmes Dermot
Psychology Department,National University of Ireland, Maynooth, County Kildare.
J Exp Anal Behav. 2004 Sep;82(2):177-95. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2004.82-177.
Although the literature on reinforcement in behavioral psychology is extensive, few studies have examined the derived transformation of reinforcing functions in accordance with equivalence classes, and no published research has yet examined the derived transformation of consequential functions in accordance with nonequivalence relations. In the present study, which consisted of four experiments, the basic preparation was as follows. First, an arbitrary stimulus, B2, was established as a conditioned punisher, using direct stimulus pairing. Following nonarbitrary relational training, designed to establish SAME and OPPOSITE contextual cues, subjects were exposed to arbitrary relational training using these contextual cues to establish A1 as the same as B1 and C1, and as opposite to B2 and C2. Subsequently, C2 (based on its Same relation with B2) functioned as a punisher and C1 (based on its Opposite relation with B2) functioned as a reinforcer in a simultaneous discrimination task. Critically, the C1 stimulus acquired reinforcing functions, based on the derived relation of Opposite, although no such function had actually been established for any member of the network. Furthermore, these effects were observed across ABA reversals in the baseline contingencies.
尽管行为心理学中关于强化的文献极为丰富，但很少有研究依据等价类来考察强化功能的派生转换，且尚无已发表的研究依据非等价关系来考察结果功能的派生转换。在本研究（由四项实验组成）中，基本的实验准备如下。首先，通过直接刺激配对，将一个任意刺激B2确立为条件性惩罚物。在旨在建立相同和相反情境线索的非任意关系训练之后，使用这些情境线索对被试进行任意关系训练，以将A1确立为与B1和C1相同，且与B2和C2相反。随后，在一个同时辨别任务中，C2（基于其与B2的相同关系）发挥惩罚物的作用，而C1（基于其与B2的相反关系）发挥强化物的作用。关键在于，尽管网络中的任何成员实际上都未被确立具有这样的功能，但基于相反的派生关系，C1刺激获得了强化功能。此外，在基线条件的ABA反转过程中均观察到了这些效应。
