Dube W V, McIlvane W J, Maguire R W, Mackay H A, Stoddard L T
Behavioral Neurology Department, E.K. Shriver Center, Waltham, Massachusetts 02254.
J Exp Anal Behav. 1989 Jan;51(1):65-76. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1989.51-65.
This study examined stimulus class membership established via stimulus-reinforcer relations. Mentally retarded subjects learned conditional discriminations with four two-member sets of visual stimuli (A, B, C, and D). On arbitrary-matching trials, they selected comparison stimuli B1 and B2 conditionally upon samples A1 and A2, respectively, and C1 and C2 conditionally upon B1 and B2, respectively. On identity-matching trials, they selected all stimuli as comparisons conditionally upon identical stimuli as samples. Throughout training, correct selections of A1, B1, C1, and D1 were followed by one reinforcer, R1, and those of A2, B2, C2, and D2 were followed by another, R2. Subsequent tests documented the formation of two four-member stimulus classes, A1-B1-C1-D1 and A2-B2-C2-D2. The class membership of the A, B, and C stimuli could have been based on equivalence relations that resulted from the arbitrary-matching training. D1 and D2 had never appeared on arbitrary-matching trials, however. Their class membership must have been based on relations with R1 and R2, respectively. Results thus confirm a previous finding that stimulus classes can be expanded via stimulus-reinforcer relations. They also define more precisely the potential nature of those classes and the conditions under which class membership can be established.
本研究考察了通过刺激-强化物关系建立的刺激类属关系。智力迟钝的受试者学习了四组由两个视觉刺激组成的条件辨别任务（A、B、C和D）。在任意匹配试验中，他们分别根据样本A1和A2有条件地选择比较刺激B1和B2，以及分别根据B1和B2有条件地选择C1和C2。在同一性匹配试验中，他们根据相同的刺激作为样本有条件地选择所有刺激作为比较。在整个训练过程中，正确选择A1、B1、C1和D1后给予一种强化物R1，正确选择A2、B2、C2和D2后给予另一种强化物R2。随后的测试记录了两个由四个刺激组成的刺激类别的形成，即A1-B1-C1-D1和A2-B2-C2-D2。A、B和C刺激的类属关系可能基于任意匹配训练产生的等价关系。然而，D1和D2从未出现在任意匹配试验中。它们的类属关系一定分别基于与R1和R2的关系。因此，结果证实了之前的一项发现，即刺激类别可以通过刺激-强化物关系进行扩展。它们还更精确地定义了这些类别的潜在性质以及建立类属关系的条件。
