Mediated Generalization and Stimulus Equivalence

Abstract

From the 1930s to the 1970s a large number of experimental studies on mediated generalization were published, and this research tradition provided an important context for early research on stimulus equivalence. Mediated generalization and stimulus equivalence have several characteristics in common, notably that both traditions seek to experimentally investigate derived responding among arbitrarily related stimuli in human participants. Although studies of stimulus equivalence are currently being regularly published, few studies investigate mediated generalization in humans today, and the research tradition is mainly of historical interest. The current article will give an account of the origin, the development, and the demise of research on mediated generalization, including a presentation of publication trends, experimental methodology, and the conceptual context research on mediated generalization took place within. Finally, some thoughts on the demise of mediated generalization and its relevance for modern research on stimulus equivalence and other types of derived responding are presented, including reflections on the observability of explanatory variables and the use of inferential statistics.

Analysis of the role of motivating operations in the therapeutic verbal interaction

“…That has opened the door to reconsidering the role of classical conditioning in the explanation of language. The analysis of the explanatory potential of classical conditioning about language began to be studied before the mid-20th century, in the context of mediated generalization studies (Eilifsen & Arntzen, 2021). For some authors, classical conditioning would be the process behind the referential capacity of words, that is their capacity to elicit the same reactions as their referents.…”