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A transformation of functions in accordance with the nonarbitrary relational properties of sexual stimuli

APA Citation

Roche, B., & Dymond, S. (2008). A transformation of functions in accordance with the nonarbitrary relational properties of sexual stimuli. Psychological Record, 58, 71-94.

Publication Topic
RFT: Empirical
Publication Type
Article
Language
English
Abstract

In two experiments, researchers examined the transformation ofthe nonarbitrary properties of sexual stimuli in accordance with multiple stimulus relations. First, simple discrimination and free-operant procedures were used to present small, medium, or large sexually explicit images. Contextual functions of "More than" and "Less than" were then established for two cues by using a relational pretraining procedure. Next, a linear-series conditional discrimination training design was used to train and test for the formation of three, three-member equivalence relations. Then, emergent relations of More than and Less than were tested among the stimuli. Tbe nonarbitrary relations of More than and Less than obtaining among the sexual stimuli were arbitrarily applied to all equivalence relations and the discriminative stimuli. These findings may have implications for contemporary behavioral sex research in demonstrating that stimuli may acquire sexual and relational functions through their participation in complex relational networks.