Se ha observado que el uso de imágenes interfiere en el aprendizaje de palabras novedosas. Se buscó extender estos resultados a Clases de Equivalencia de Estímulo (CEE), indagando si el efecto de bloqueo se presenta de manera diferencial según la modalidad del estímulo bloqueado (i.e. pictórico o pseudo-lexical). Diez estudiantes universitarios fueron entrenados, mediante igualación a la muestra, en cuatro CEE (dos de modalidad pseudo-lexical y dos de modalidad pictórica). En el mismo entrenamiento se aplicó un procedimiento de bloqueo. Se evaluó la emergencia de relaciones derivadas para cada elemento de los estímulos compuestos por separado. Un mayor efecto de bloqueo fue observado siempre que el estímulo bloqueado X fue de modalidad pseudo-lexical. Se discuten los resultados en relación a las teorías de emparejamiento de estímulos y su implicancia en el desarrollo de prácticas pedagógicas. Los resultados observados desalientan el uso de estímulos compuestos para la enseñanza de palabras.

Three groups of subjects received training in stimulus equivalence classes with a respondent-type training procedure. Stimulus contingency was positive for the first group, zero for the second, and negative for the third. Afterwards, all participants were tested with a matching-to-sample task for four baseline relations (A1-B1, A2-B2, C1-B1, and C2-B2), four symmetry relations (B1-A1, B2-A2, B1-C1, and C2-B2), and four combined symmetry and transitivity relations (A1-C1, A2-C2, C1-A1, and C2-A2). After this, they were retrained and retested twice. Explicit reinforcement was not programmed during the training or testing phases. The number of subjects who learned the baseline relations and showed the emergence of derived relations was higher in the positive contingency group than in the zero or negative contingency groups, although in all cases at least one retraining phase was required in order to reach the criteria. This finding contributes to the literature suggesting that stimulus pairing is the fundamental variable underlying emergent stimulus functions.

This study investigates the influences of: 1) the task order of two stimulus equivalence classes (SEC) probes, and 2) the possible differences within the equivalence trial types. These factors were analyzed together on both behavioral and event-related potentials (ERP) data. Two groups of normal subjects participated in two successive sessions. In the first session, all participants were trained in the baseline relations among visual stimuli (pseudo-words). In the second session, one group performed the matching-to-sample (MTS) equivalence tests before the equivalence-relatedness-priming (EBRP) task, while the other group performed both tasks in reverse order. In the EBRP task related trial types included trained, symmetrical and equivalence relationships while the unrelated trial types included the same stimuli but without relationships. Event related potentials were recorded separately for related and unrelated conditions during the EBRP task. Results showed that response times to related trials were shorter than those to unrelated ones. At the electrophysiological level, two late waveforms were sensitive to the differences among the stimulus pairs of the EBRP task: Both waveforms were larger for the unrelated than the related conditions. Conversely, there were no main influences of the task order or of the trial types with each other. These results provide evidence that 1) the EBRP task exhibits priming effects among the SEC stimuli, 2) the behavioral and electrophysiological effects were similar regardless of whether the EBRP task was done before or after the MTS tests, and 3) there were no differences within the baseline and derived trial types in the EBRP task.

Semantic priming studies conducted with stimuli related through equivalence class training with different training structure has not been investigated yet. The aim of this work was to find out whether inter-group differences would be found during a semantic-priming task with stimuli related through equivalence depending on the training structure employed. 42 subjects were divided into three groups. All of them received training in three three-member equivalences classes, each with a different training structure: LS, OTM and MTO. Afterwards, all of them performed a semantic-priming task where trained and derived relations were tested. Inter-group differences were observed in the percentage of correct responses and in reaction times during the priming task, being the former lower and the latter higher for unrelated stimuli in the linear-series structure. Training structure is postulated as a possible factor which modulates the performance of subjects during lexical tasks.

The present study aimed to validate a Spanish-word database that elicits different levels of emotional response. To control subjects’ engagement to the stimuli, an emotional Stroop task was administered to Spanish-speaking population. In order to assess to which extent valence and emotionality are automatically processed when reading a word, participants’ reaction time was recorded as a complement of their electrodermal response. These measurements were used to rank the words into two different lists, conforming the set of Spanish-words. The reaction time to negative words were only significantly slower to reaction times of positive ones (and not to the neutral ones). We found that words with a negative emotional content elicited higher skin conductance responses (SCR) and longer reaction time than those with neutral and positive emotional content. These findings are consistent with previous literature and therefore supports word’s emotionality of the implemented database. l; Emoción, Stroop emocional; Conductancia de la piel; Población hispano-hablante.