Matching-to-sample and respondent-type training as methods for producing equivalence relations: Isolating the critical variable

The purpose of this study was to compare systematically the effectiveness o f the respondent-type training procedure and the matching-to-sample trainin g procedure. In Experiment 1, a within-subject design was used, to compare the effectiveness of the two procedures. In Condition 1, students were trai ned using the respondent-type training procedure (60 training trials) and t ested for the emergence of symmetry and equivalence responding using a matc hing-to-sample test. Students were subsequently trained using the matching- to-sample training procedure (60 training trials) and tested using a matchi ng-to-sample test. In Condition 2, the order of the training and testing wa s reversed (i.e., i, MTS training; ii, MTS test, ill, respondent training; iv, MTS test). Experiment 2 was identical to Experiment 1, except that duri ng matching-to-sample training subjects were required to produce 12 consecu tively correct responses before an equivalence test. During respondent-type training students were presented with 12 training trials. Experiment 3 was identical to Experiment 2 except that the two negative comparisons were re moved from matching-to-sample training. Experiment 4 was identical to Exper iment 3 except that the correct comparison appeared to the right, center, o r left of the screen and three response keys were used. In Experiments 1, 2 , and 3 respondent-type training was more effective than matching-to-sample training. In Experiment 4 when the negative comparisons were removed from matching-to-sample training and when the spatial position of the correct co mparison varied both procedures were equally effective.