title: Discriminative functions and over-training as class-enhancing determinants of meaningful stimuli.
abstract: Likelihood of equivalence class formation (yield) was influenced by pre-class formation of simultaneous and successive discriminations, their mastery criteria, and overtraining of the successive discriminations. Each undergraduate in seven groups attempted to form two 3-node, 5-member equivalence classes (ABCDE). In the pictorial (PIC) group, meaningless nonsense syllables were used as the A, B, D, and E stimuli and meaningful pictures as the C stimuli. Nonsense syllables only were used in the other groups. The abstract (ABS) or 0-0-0 group involved no pre-class training. In the 84-0-0, 84-5-0 and 84-20-0 groups, simultaneous discriminations were trained among C stimuli to a mastery criterion of 84 trials, followed by successive discriminations trained to mastery criteria of 0, 5, and 20 trials, respectively. In the 84-20-0, 84-20-100, and 84-20-500 groups, simultaneous and successive discriminations were trained as noted, followed by overtraining with 0, 100, 500 successive-discrimination trials, respectively. The ABS group produced a 6% yield with the 84-0-0, 84-5-0, and 84-20-0 groups producing further modest increments. Overtraining produced a linear increase in yield, reaching 85% after 500 overtraining trials, a yield matching that produced by classes containing pictures as C stimuli (PIC). Thus, acquired discriminative functions and the overtraining of at least one function can account for class enhancement by meaningful stimuli.
authors: The Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
authors: Robert W
authors: RW
authors: Travis
authors: Lanny
authors: L
authors: Fields
authors: Erik
authors: E
authors: Arntzen
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005246:Feedback; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D010775:Photic Stimulation
keywords: concept formation; discrimination training; equivalence class; humans; immediate and delayed emergence; meaning