Smeets, P. M., Barnes-Holmes, D., & Cullinan, V. (2000). Establishing equivalence classes with match-to-sample format and simultaneous-discrimination format conditional discrimination tasks. The Psychological Record, 50, 721-744.
This study compared standard stimulus equivalence training and testing in the match-to-sample format to a simultaneous-discrimination format. Experiment I compared the formats between groups in both adults and 5-year-old children. There were no differences on symmetry tests. There was a difference between children and adults on a one-node equivalence test. Results were positive for all of the adults in the match-to-sample and simple-discrimination formats. Results were positive for all children in the match-to-sample format, but for only half of them in the simple-discrimination format. Transfer tests for discriminative control were conducted with participants who had positive equivalence test results. Transfer was less reliable in children than in adults, but there were no differences between formats. Experiment 2 replicated the results with children in a within-subject design.