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. 2017 Nov 14;41(1):155-173.
doi: 10.1007/s40614-017-0124-7. eCollection 2018 Jun.

Derived Stimulus Relations and Their Role in a Behavior-Analytic Account of Human Language and Cognition

Dermot Barnes-Holmes  1 , Martin Finn  1 , Ciara McEnteggart  1 , Yvonne Barnes-Holmes  1
Affiliations

Derived Stimulus Relations and Their Role in a Behavior-Analytic Account of Human Language and Cognition

Dermot Barnes-Holmes et al. Perspect Behav Sci. .

Abstract

This article describes how the study of derived stimulus relations has provided the basis for a behavior-analytic approach to the study of human language and cognition in purely functional-analytic terms, with a focus on basic rather than applied research. The article begins with a brief history of the early behavior-analytic approach to human language and cognition, focusing on Skinner's (1957) text Verbal Behavior, his subsequent introduction of the concept of instructional control (Skinner, 1966), and Sidman's (1994) seminal research on stimulus equivalence relations. The article then considers how the concept of derived stimulus relations, as conceptualized within relational frame theory (Hayes et al., 2001), allowed researchers to refine and extend the functional approach to language and cognition in multiple ways. Finally, the article considers some recent conceptual and empirical developments that highlight how the concept of derived stimulus relations continues to play a key role in the behavior-analytic study of human language and cognition, particularly implicit cognition. In general, the article aims to provide a particular perspective on how the study of derived stimulus relations has facilitated and enhanced the behavior analysis of human language and cognition, particularly over the past 25-30 years.

Keywords: Cognition; Derived stimulus relations; Human; Language; Relational frame theory.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
An example of the four screens—or trial types—that may be presented within an Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The differential arbitrarily applicable relational responding effects (DAARRE) model as it applies to the shapes and colors Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). The positive and negative symbols refer to the relative positivity of the transformation of function property (Cfunc) for each label and target; the relative positivity of the entailment property (Crel); and the relative positivity of the relational coherence indicator (RCI) in the context of the other Cfunc, Crel, and RCI properties
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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