Training Structures and Formation of Equivalence Classes

Abstract Sol Martine Nilsen, Felix Högnason, and Erik Arntzen The literature has reported different effects of linear series (LS) training structure in young and older adults when establishing conditional discriminations and performance on equivalence test for reflexivity, symmetry and transitivity. For example, when exposed to LS two out of ten participants tends to respond according with stimulus equivalence. However, One-to-Many (OTM) and Many-to-One (MTO) training structures produce far more positive outcomes on test for stimulus equivalence. Parameters were set to three 3-node, 5-member equivalence classes (A->B->C->D->E). This constituted 12 directly trained relations and 36 emergent relations presented concurrently using the simultaneous protocol. Of the participants recruited, ten were age 19 to 25 and constituted one group. The second group consisted of ten participants from 50 to 65 years old. The scope of this investigation is to see if performance is influenced by variables such as training and testing parameters, LS and age differences.