Zentall Thomas R
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
J Exp Anal Behav. 2025 Jul;124(1):e70019. doi: 10.1002/jeab.70019. Epub 2025 May 15.
My collaboration with Peter Urcuioli started with research on delayed matching to sample. Initially we asked, what do pigeons remember during the delay in delayed matching to sample: a retrospective coding of the sample or a prospective coding of the comparison-related response? This led us to examine the basis of the differential outcomes effect. Why are samples associated with differential outcomes learned faster and remembered better than samples associated with common outcomes? This research helped us discover a procedure that resulted in functional stimulus equivalence: Samples associated with the same comparison are commonly associated. This research led Peter to develop his creative model of pigeon equivalence class formation. His model predicts the conditions under which pigeons satisfy the three components of what is known as Sidman equivalence: reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity, phenomena that are difficult to demonstrate in pigeons. Importantly, his model predicts the opposite of reflexivity (anti-reflexivity) and symmetry (anti-symmetry). Research confirming Peter's model laid to rest the belief that the emergent relations defining Sidman equivalence can be satisfied only by an organism capable of using language. In his long career, Peter Urcuioli has made an important and long-lasting contribution to the field of learning and comparative cognition.
我与彼得·乌尔乔利的合作始于对延迟匹配样本的研究。最初我们问道，鸽子在延迟匹配样本的延迟期间记住了什么：样本的回顾性编码还是与比较相关反应的前瞻性编码？这引导我们研究差异结果效应的基础。为什么与不同结果相关联的样本比与共同结果相关联的样本学得更快且记忆更好？这项研究帮助我们发现了一种能产生功能性刺激等效性的程序：与相同比较相关联的样本通常是相关联的。这项研究促使彼得开发了他关于鸽子等效类形成的创新模型。他的模型预测了鸽子满足所谓西德曼等效性的三个组成部分（自反性、对称性和传递性）的条件，这些现象在鸽子身上很难得到证明。重要的是，他的模型预测了与自反性（反自反性）和对称性（反对称性）相反的情况。证实彼得模型的研究消除了这样一种信念，即定义西德曼等效性的新兴关系只有能够使用语言的有机体才能满足。在他漫长的职业生涯中，彼得·乌尔乔利对学习和比较认知领域做出了重要且持久的贡献。
