Experimental analysis of the nature of cognitive defusion-II: Generalized contextual control over the transformation of stimulus function established by topographical features of equivalence class members

The aim of the present study was to reinvestigate effects of multiple exemplar training procedures on establishment of generalized contextual control over the transformation of stimulus function with 4-member stimulus equivalence classes, instead of 3-member stimuli equivalence classes as in Kishita et al. (2012, in Japanese). Three 4-member stimulus equivalence classes, each consisting of 4 topographically distinct visual stimuli (line, circle, triangle, square) were established for 9 undergraduate students using a match-to-sample (MTS) task. Following the match-to-sample training and testing, participants were provided with many trials in which behaving in accordance with transformation of function was differentially reinforced or punished, depending on the presence of a class of physical features of the stimuli. Finally, new equivalence classes were established, and a test for generalized contextual control was presented. The results revealed that 7 of the participants who were included in the analyses demonstrated contextual control over derived transformations of the stimulus functions; among them, 4 showed generalized contextual control. The multiple exemplar training procedure used in the present study may produce generalization of contextual control over the transformation of stimulus function as in Kishita et al. (2012, in Japanese).