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Controlling Relations in Stimulus Equivalence Classes of Preschool Children and Individuals with Down Syndrome

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Abstract

We evaluated emergent stimulus-stimulus relations after two different training procedures. Participants were five typically developing preschool children and three individuals with Down syndrome. Experiment 1 used two-comparison matching to sample (MTS) to establish AB and BC relations. Experiment 2 used two-comparison and blank comparison MTS, each on 50 % of training trials, to establish AB and BC relations. In both experiments, tests for emergent relations (AC, CA) were conducted to assess equivalence class formation. In Experiment 2, class expansion was subsequently assessed after CD training. All participants showed positive equivalence test outcomes. Seven showed class expansion. After class formation tests in both studies, probe tests were conducted for select and reject relations in baseline relations. Initial results were somewhat variable, but became more consistent after class expansion.

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Authors’ Note

This research was a binational collaborative effort through the Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia sobre Comportamento Cognição e Ensino (National Institute for Science and Technology: Studies of Behavior, Cognition, and Teaching) coordinated by Universidade Federal de São Carlos, SP, Brazil (Deisy de Souza, Project Director). Support for this work came from multiple sources, including CNPq (Grant# 573972/2008-7), FAPESP (Grant# 2008/57705-8), NICHD (HD04147), and NIMH (MH90272). The first author was supported by a doctoral scholarship (FAPESP, Grant# 2007/50992-9), and the second author by a research productivity grant from CNPq. Studies reported here were part of a doctoral dissertation submitted by the first author to Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Especial, Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Priscila C. Grisante is now at Departamento de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo.

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  1. Departamento de Psicologia, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luís, km 235 – SP-310, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil, CEP 13565-905

    Priscila C. Grisante & Julio C. de Rose

  2. Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia sobre Comportamento, Cognição e Ensino, São Carlos, Brazil

    Priscila C. Grisante, Julio C. de Rose & William J. McIlvane

  3. University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

    William J. McIlvane

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  1. Priscila C. Grisante
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Correspondence to Julio C. de Rose.

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Grisante, P.C., de Rose, J.C. & McIlvane, W.J. Controlling Relations in Stimulus Equivalence Classes of Preschool Children and Individuals with Down Syndrome. Psychol Rec 64, 195–208 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-014-0021-3

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