title: Testing for transitive class containment as a feature of hierarchical classification.
abstract: Three experiments investigated responding consistent with transitive class containment, a feature of hierarchical classification. Experiment 1 replicated key components of a preliminary attempt to model hierarchical classification (Griffee & Dougher, 2002) and tested for responding consistent with transitive class containment. Only 2 out of 5 participants showed the expected pattern. Experiment 2 tested whether repeated exposures to the Experiment 1 protocol would give rise to the expected pattern more reliably. None of 3 novel participants demonstrated the pattern. In Experiment 3, physically similar stimuli used in Experiments 1 and 2 were replaced across testing cycles by arbitrary stimuli. Transitive-class-containment-consistent responding was observed in all 3 novel participants. Implications, limitations and future research are discussed.
authors: School of Psychology, National University of Ireland Galway. brianslattery2001@yahoo.com
authors: Brian
authors: B
authors: Slattery
authors: Ian
authors: I
authors: Stewart
authors: Denis
authors: D
authors: O'Hora
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001245:Association Learning; D002965:Classification; D003210:Concept Formation; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D012016:Reference Values; D014163:Transfer, Psychology; D014706:Verbal Learning; D055815:Young Adult