Private and Hypothetical Variables in the Study of Mediation in Paired Associate Learning and Possible Lessons for Current Research on Emergent Behavior

Since it’s conception as a science, experimental psychology has tried to provide a satisfying account of emergent behavior in humans. The study of mediated generalization using paired associate methodology was once a highly active field of research exploring this issue. The research tradition was theoretically diverse, and a variation of covert behaviors and constructs was evoked to account for experimental data. Today, published papers within this tradition are rare. Research on mediated generalization and modern stimulus equivalence research have some similarities, but important differences exist. Some authors have suggested that theoretical conceptions of stimulus equivalence that include private behavior may lead stimulus equivalence research to suffer the same fate as mediated generalization. Within this context, the current paper will explore the role of private events in the understanding of complex human behavior and the difference between the conception of private events in methodological and radical behaviorism.