Differential effect of choosing among stimulus contingencies descriptive texts before and after the matching response in a conditional discrimination task

Abstract

The differential effects of choosing verbal descriptions about marching criteria in conditional discrimination were evaluated. Four groups were used, presenting verbal descriptions before the matching response, after the matching response, before and after the matching response, and a group without verbal descriptions. Additionally to the acquisition of a first order matching to sample task involving identity, similarity and difference rules, intramodal and extra-modal transfer tests were used after each matching task, as well as in a pretest session. The results of this experiment show that the group being exposed to descriptions after the matching response had the higher percentages in acquisition of the three training matching relations as well as in the intramodal transfer test. The group with lower performance was that exposed to descriptions before the matching response. The results are examined in terms of Ryle's model on intelligent behavior and thinking.