RESURGENCE OF DERIVED STIMULUS RELATIONS

Resurgence has been shown in human and nonhuman operant behavior, but not in derived relational responses. The present study examined this i ssue. Twenty-three undergraduates were trained to make conditional dis criminations in a three-choice matching-to-sample paradigm. The traini ng resulted in three equivalence classes, each consisting of four arbi trarily configured visual stimuli. The same 12 stimuli were then reorg anized, and the conditional discrimination training was repeated such that three new classes were possible. In a subsequent test of derived relations, most subjects showed response patterns that were consistent with the altered conditional discriminations. Subjects were then expo sed to conditional discrimination trials under extinction. Most subjec ts continued to respond consistently with the most recently reinforced conditional discrimination trials. During the next phase, subjects we re exposed to symmetry and equivalence trials. Responses consistent wi th the most recent training produced feedback saying that the response s were incorrect, whereas other responses produced no feedback. Most s ubjects showed a resurgence of responding that was consistent with the ir earlier training. Finally, subjects were exposed to conditional dis crimination trials carried out in extinction. Most subjects continued to show a resurgence of responding that was consistent with their earl y training.