Emergence of Naming Relations and Intraverbals After Auditory Stimulus Pairing

Abstract

We analyzed the emergence of intraverbals, tacts, and selection in response to names spoken by the experimenter as a result of observing auditory stimulus pairing in 12 typical developing adults randomly assigned to two experimental and one control condition. In Part 1, four sounds of musical instruments were paired with their respective names spoken by the experimenter; in Part 2, the sounds were paired with their native country names spoken by the experimenter. Participants in Condition 1 received the pairing sequence of Parts 1 and 2; participants in Condition 2 received the pairing sequence of Parts 2 and 1. After pairing, tacts emerged in all participants and selections emerged in most participants. After the completion of the two pairing phases, intraverbals emerged in three participants of Condition 1. The participants of Condition 2 also demonstrated instances of emergence, but fewer than those of Condition 1. Thus, the sequence of the pairing phases influenced the emergence. Moreover, the intraverbals with the country as responses emerged more quickly than the intraverbals with the instrument as responses. The findings have direct implications on the teaching procedures to facilitate these types of emergence.

Auditory–Visual stimuli: Effects on derived relations with compound stimuli

“…Until now, research related to compound stimuli has shown better performance when participants have had a learning history with these compound stimuli (see Alonso‐Álvarez, 2010; Alonso‐Álvarez & Pérez‐González, 2006; Alós et al, 2013; Guerrero et al, 2015; Maldonado et al, 2020; Pérez‐González & Alonso‐Álvarez, 2008). If the results found here are confirmed, the mere teaching of simple stimuli (the present experiment) or paired stimuli (Carnerero & Pérez‐González, 2015; Carnerero et al, 2019) could allow for learning to transfer to new operants with simple or compound stimuli. However, it is still necessary to examine the influence of easy‐to‐classify stimuli on learning outcomes.…”

“…1) and only visual (Exp. 2 and 3), thus continuing the line of study followed by Carnerero and Pérez‐González (2015), Carnerero et al (2019) and Guerrero et al (2015). As a result, this research aims to contribute toward the study of relational learning, providing new data on how to present several types of stimuli to promote the autonomous grouping of categories by each individual without explicit training.…”

“…In addition, studies by Carnerero and Pérez‐González (2015) and Carnerero et al (2019) revealed derived relations after pairing auditory stimuli in a sample of normally developed adults. They used the names of different instruments, their countries of origin, and distinctive sounds, through paired stimuli, to assess the emergence of naming and intraverbals through two independent variables: the use of pairing procedures and the order of stimulus presentation.…”

“…Auditory stimuli, for example, can be verbal or nonverbal, depending on whether they are issued by a human subject or by a musical instrument, respectively. In relation to number, an ever increasing number of studies have emerged that include the presentation of two antecedent stimuli in a discrimination (e.g., Alonso‐Álvarez, 2010; Alonso‐Álvarez & Pérez‐González, 2006; Augustson, Dougher, & Markham, 2000; Carnerero & Pérez‐González, 2015; Carnerero, Pérez‐González, & Osuna, 2019; Groskreutz et al, 2010; Guerrero, Alós, & Moriana, 2015; Miguel, Carr, & Michael, 2001; Miguel, Petursdottir, & Carr, 2005; Pérez‐González & Alonso‐Álvarez, 2008). Some of these investigations could be linked to the concept of multiple control described by Michael (2003).…”

Baseline training sequence affects speed of emergent conditional discriminations

“…Training sequence effects have previously been found in research on the inclusion of meaningful stimuli in equivalence classes (e.g., Arntzen, ; Nartey, Arntzen, & Fields, ). In addition, Carnerero and Perez‐Gonzales () found that when baseline training involved class‐consistent contiguous presentation of stimuli, subsequent emergence of vocal intraverbal relations depended on the sequence in which baseline relations were presented. In general, however, such effects have not been studied systematically.…”