Revista mexicana de análisis de la conducta
Print version ISSN 0185-4534
DELGADO-DELGADO, Diana Marcela and MEDINA-ARBOLEDA, Iván Felipe. Effects of two types of respondent training on formation of relations equivalence. Rev. mex. anál. conducta [online]. 2011, vol.37, n.1, pp. 33-50. ISSN 0185-4534. http://dx.doi.org/10.5514/rmac.v37.i1.19475.
Mainstream views have traditionally explained the phenomenon of equivalence in terms of operant processes. We suggest that the emergence of equivalence classes can be sufficiently explained by classical conditioning processes alone, thereby questioning the role of reinforcers in the acquisition of derived relational responses. College students were exposed to one of two types of respondent trainings, namely, a Respondent-Type procedure and a respondent matching to sample (MTS) procedure. Performances in equivalence tests following A-B and A-C trainings were analyzed for each group. Results show high accuracy of emergent responses in both groups with higher performances for participants trained using the respondent MTS procedure. Theoretical interpretations of function transfer and their implications on understanding the behavior of organisms are discussed.
Keywords : Respondent equivalence; emergent relations; function transfer; respondent-type; matching to sample; derived relational responding.