FAST MAPPING AND EXCLUSION (EMERGENT MATCHING) IN DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE, BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS, AND ANIMAL COGNITION RESEARCH

Researchers from behavior analytic, developmental, and comparative per spectives have all investigated the conditions under which new arbitra ry (symbolic) stimulus-stimulus relations are acquired. For example, y oung children, people with severe mental retardation, and several spec ies of nonhuman mammals all exhibit emergent matching (EM) in the cont ext of a we[established matching-to-sample baseline: When presented wi th an undefined sample stimulus and a comparison array that includes o ne undefined comparison and one or more baseline comparisons, particip ants select the undefined comparison. Further, subsequent testing may show a learning outcome: Exposure to EM trials may result in a new def ined relation involving the formerly undefined stimuli. Between 1974 a nd the late 1980s, emergent matching and learning outcomes were descri bed independently by behavior analytic, child language, and animal cog nition researchers. Cross-literature citations were virtually absent, however. More recently, crossdisciplinary citations have begun to appe ar. This article briefly reviews the history of EM research, emphasizi ng the independent development of research programs, methods, and term inology in the three disciplines. We then identity several research ar eas where a multidisciplinary approach may benefit all concerned.