Contextual control over the derived transformation of discriminative and sexual arousal functions

A previous study by Roche and Barnes (1997) examined the transformation of conditioned sexual arousal in accordance with arbitrary relations. The curr ent research replicated and extended that study by attempting to bring the derived transformation effect under contextual control. In Experiment 1,the functions of hand waving and clapping were first established for two nonse nse syllables (called B1 and B2, respectively). Subjects were then exposed to relational pretraining, similar to that employed by Steele and Hayes (19 91), in order to establish the contextual functions of Same and Opposite in two arbitrary stimuli. Subsequently, subjects were trained in the followin g relations; Same/A1-[B1-B2-N1], Same/A1-[C1-C2-N2], Opposite/A1-[B1-B2-N1] , Opposite/A1-[C1-C2-N2] (underlined comparison stimuli indicate reinforced choices) from which the following relational responses emerged; Same/B1-C1 ; Same/B2-C2; Opposite/B1-C2; Opposite/B2-C1. During a testing phase, the s timulus functions established for B1 emerged for C1 in the presence of Same (i.e., the subjects waved) but those established for 82 emerged for C1 in the presence of Opposite (i.e., the subjects clapped). Similarly, the funct ions of B2 emerged for C2 in the presence of Same (i.e., the subjects clapp ed), but those established for B1 emerged for C2 in the presence of Opposit e (i.e., the subjects waved). Experiment 2 established similar results usin g respondent eliciting functions in the place of hand clapping and waving.