Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Verbal Establishing Stimuli: Testing the Motivative Effect of Stimuli in a Derived Relation with Consequences

  • Published:
The Psychological Record Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study examined whether the presentation of stimuli in equivalence relations with consequences increases the operant behavior that produces these consequences. in Experiment 1, both normal words and experimentally trained equivalence stimuli did so with young children. in Experiment 2, results were similar with college students. Here, a computer-based task was used, pitting discriminative control established within the experiment against the possible moti-vative effect of stimuli in equivalence relations with consequences of known impact. Results suggest that such stimuli function as verbal establishing stimuli.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • ANDRZEJEWSKI, M. E., RYALS, C. D., HIGGINS, S., SULKOWSKI, J., DONEY, J., KELLEY, A. E., & BERSH, P. J. (2007). Is extinction the hallmark of operant discrimination? Reinforcement and S-Delta effects. Behavioural Processes, 74, 49–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • AYLLON, T., & AZRIN, N. H. (1968a). Reinforcer sampling: A technique for increasing the behavior of mental patients. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1, 13–20.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • AYLLON, T., & AZRIN, N. H. (1968b). A motivating environment for therapy and rehabilitation. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

    Google Scholar 

  • ANDERSON, C. M., HAWKINS, R. P., FREEMAN, K. A., & SCOTTI, J. R. (2000). Private events: Do they belong in a science of human behavior? The Behavior Analyst, 23, 1–10.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • BARNES, D., BROWN, M., SMEETS, P. M., & ROCHE, B. (1995). A transfer of functions and a conditional transfer of functions through equivalence relations in three to six year old children. The Psychological Record, 45, 617–638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BARNES, D., & ROCHE, B. (1997). Relational frame theory and the experimental analysis of human sexuality. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 6, 117–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BARNES, D., & KEENAN, M. (1993). A transfer of functions through derived arbitrary and nonarbitrary stimulus relations. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 59, 61-18.

    Google Scholar 

  • BARNES-HOLMES, D., O’HORA, D., ROCHE, B., HAYES, S. C., BISSETT, R. T., & LYDDY, F. (2001). Understanding and verbal regulation. In S. C. Hayes, D. Barnes-Holmes, & B. Roche (Eds.), Relational frame theory: a post-Skinnerian account of human language and cognition (pp. 103–117). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • BENTALL, R. P., & LOWE, C. F. (1987). The role of verbal behavior in human learning III: Instructional effects in children. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 47, 177–190.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • DOUCHER, M. J., AUGUSTSON, E., MARKAM, M. R., GREENWAY, D. E., & WULFERT, E. (1994). The transfer of respondent eliciting and extinction functions through stimulus equivalence classes. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 62, 331–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DOUCHER, M. L., & HACKBERT, L. (2000). Establishing operations, cognition, and emotion. The Behavior Analyst, 23, 11–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DYMOND, S., & BARNES, D. (1995), A transformation of self-discrimination response functions in accordance with the arbitrarily applicable relations of sameness, more than, and less than. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 64, 163–184.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • DYMOND, S., & REHFELDT, R. A. (2000). Understanding complex behavior: The transformation of stimulus functions. The Behavior Analyst, 23, 239–254.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • HAYES, S. C., & BARNES, D. (1997). Analyzing derived stimulus relations requires more than the concept of stimulus class. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 68, 235–244.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • HAYES, S. C., BARNES-HOLMES, D., & ROCHE, B. (2001). Relational frame theory: A post-Skinnerian account of human language and cognition. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • HAYES, S. C., DEVANY, J. M., KOHLENBERG, B. S., BROWNSTEIN, A. J. & SHELBY, J. (1987). Stimulus equivalence and the symbolic control of behavior. The Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis, 13, 361–374.

    Google Scholar 

  • HAYES, S. C., KOHLENBERG, B. K., & HAYES, L. J. (1991). The transfer of specific and general consequential functions through simple and conditional equivalence classes. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 56, 119–37.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • HAYES, S. C., & WILSON, K. G. (1993). Some applied implications of a contemporary behavior-analytic account of verbal events. The Behavior Analyst, 16, 283–301.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • KELLER, F. S., & SCHOENFELD, W. N. (1950). Principles of psychology. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

    Google Scholar 

  • KOHLENBERG, B. S., HAYES, S. C., & HAYES, L. J. (1991). The transfer of contextual control over equivalence classes through equivalence classes: A possible model of social stereotyping. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 56, 505–518.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • LEIGLAND, S. (1984). On “setting events” and related concepts. The Behavior Analyst, 7, 41–45.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • LINDSLEY, O. R. (1962). A behavioral measure of television viewing. Journal of Advertising Research, 2, 2–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • LIPSITT, L., PEDERSON, L. J. & DELUCIA, C. A. (1966). Conjugate reinforcement of operant responding in infants. Psychonomic Science, 4, 67–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MASUDA, A., HAYES, S. C., SACKETT, C. F., & TWOHIG, M. P. (2004). Cognitive defusion and self-relevant negative thoughts: Examining the impact of a ninety year old technique. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 42, 477–485.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MCDEVITT, M. A., & FANTINO, E. (1993). Establishing operations and the discriminative stimulus. The Behavior Analyst, 16, 225–228.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • MCPHERSON, A., & OSBOURNE, J. G. (1986). The emergence of establishing stimulus control. The Psychological Record, 36, 375–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MCPHERSON, A., & OSBOURNE, J. G. (1988). Control of behavior by an establishing stimulus. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 49, 213–227.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • MICHAEL, J. L. (1982). Distinguishing between discriminative and motivational functions of stimuli. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 37, 149–155.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • MICHAEL, J. L. (1993b). Establishing operations. The Behavior Analyst, 16, 191–206.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • MICHAEL, J. (2000). Implications and refinements of the establishing operation concept. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 33, 401–410.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • NOBEL, C. E. (1961). Measurements of association value (a), rated associations (a), and scaled meaningfulness (n) for the 2100 CVC combinations of the English alphabet. Psychological Reports, 8, 487–521.

    Google Scholar 

  • SCHLINGER, H., & BLAKELY, E. (1987). Function-altering effects of contingency-specifying stimuli. The Behavior Analyst, 10, 41–45.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • STEELE, D. L., & HAYES, S. C. (1991). Stimulus equivalence and arbitrarily applicable relational responding. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 56, 519–555.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • WHELAN, R., & BARNES-HOLMES, D. (2004). Empirical models of formative augmenting in accordance with the relations of same, opposite, more-than and less-than. International Journal of Psychology & Psychological Therapy, 4, 285–302.

    Google Scholar 

  • WULFERT, E., & HAYES, S. C. (1988). The transfer of conditional sequencing through conditional equivalence classes. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 50, 125–144.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • ZETTLE, R. D., & HAYES, S. C. (1982). Rule-governed behavior: A potential theoretical framework for cognitive-behavior therapy. In P. C. Kendall (Ed.), Advances in cognitive-behavioral research and therapy (Vol. 1; pp. 73–118). New York: Academic Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nevada, Reno Winwood Center for Wellness, LLC, 780 Commercial St. SE, Suite 304, Salem, OR, 97301, USA

    Winifred C. Ju Ph.D. & Steven C. Hayes

Authors
  1. Winifred C. Ju Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Steven C. Hayes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Winifred C. Ju Ph.D..

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ju, W.C., Hayes, S.C. Verbal Establishing Stimuli: Testing the Motivative Effect of Stimuli in a Derived Relation with Consequences. Psychol Rec 58, 339–363 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395623

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395623

Search

Navigation