Establishing arbitrary comparative relations and referential transformations of stimulus function in individuals with autism

Abstract

Relational Frame Theory posits that complex language develops through arbitrarily applicable relational networks, with potential implications for individuals with autism. Responding relationally based on comparison occurs when participants respond to any number of comparative properties, such as “bigger” or “faster.” Experiment 1 established two 3‐member comparative networks, in which a stimulus A was conditioned as “bigger” or “faster” than a stimulus B, and the stimulus B was conditioned as “bigger” or “faster” than a stimulus C in 2 children with autism. Both participants met the mastery criterion for the trained relations and demonstrated the emergence of the untrained combinatorially entailed A–C and C–A relations. The participants could also match the arbitrary A stimuli with larger or faster objects and the C stimuli with smaller or slower objects. The results were replicated in Experiment 2 with the same participants, where a 5‐member relational network was established for the bigger/smaller relation.

The selective action of Cfunc control

“…In this regard, it may be useful to create a table‐top procedure based on the paradigm described here which uses physical objects of different speeds and directions. Such a procedure could return this work to the context that inspired it (i.e., Belisle et al, 2020). In any case, investigating how Cfuncs may be efficiently established is likely to be informative for those engaged in basic and applied work on arbitrarily applicable relational responding.…”

“…1 1 This paradigm was partly inspired by a test procedure described by Belisle et al (2020). In Experiment 2 of their article, stimuli specifying “faster” and “slower” were tested in the context of two balls rolled at different speeds by the experimenter.…”