Richard Nartey - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Richard Nartey

Research paper thumbnail of Mimicking Meaningfulness: stimulus equivalence and meaning

Research paper thumbnail of Meaningful Stimuli and the Enhancement of Equivalence Class Formation

Dissertation for the degree of philosophiae doctor (PhD) Department of Behavioral Science Faculty... more Dissertation for the degree of philosophiae doctor (PhD) Department of Behavioral Science Faculty of Health Sciences Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences. Utgivelsesdata Tittel:Meaningful Stimuli and the Enhancement of Equivalence Class FormationForfatter(e):Richard Korley NarteySerie:HiOA avhandlingerIssn:1893-0476Nr:2015 nr 2Utgiver:HiOAAvdeling/fakultet:HFSider:208Pris:305,– ISBN-print:978-82-93208-81-5

Research paper thumbnail of Graded Delay, Enhanced Equivalence Class Formation, and Meaning

The Psychological Record, 2018

Assigned to 12 groups, 120 college students were taught the baseline relations for three equivale... more Assigned to 12 groups, 120 college students were taught the baseline relations for three equivalence classes (A → B → C→ D→ E) using the simultaneous protocol with trials conducted in matching-to-sample format. In 11 of the 12 groups, all stimuli were abstract shapes; in one group (PIC), the A, B, D, and E stimuli were abstract and the C stimuli were pictures. One group with abstract shapes only (ABS) did not receive preliminary training, while 10 other groups received preliminary training before class formation training. In five groups, participants learned identity relations with the C stimuli using 0-, 1-, 3-, 6-, or 9-s delays. In five others, participants learned arbitrary relations between C and X stimuli using the same five delays. Classes were formed by 70 and 0% of participants in the PIC and the ABS groups, respectively. Class formation increased systematically after preliminary training with the 0-s through 6-s delays and decreased after preliminary training with the 9-s delay. Thus, enhanced class formation was a graded, non-monotonic function of delay duration. For each delay, class formation was greater after establishing arbitrary relations than identity relations. The effects of delay in preliminary training on class formation were similar to their effects on the maintenance of the baseline relations in the derived relation tests. Two opposing processes were posited to account for the delay effects on class formation. Finally, we discussed how class enhancement by meaningful stimuli can also be attributed to their relational functions and delays.

Research paper thumbnail of Reorganization of equivalence classes: effects of preliminary training and meaningful stimuli

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, May 1, 2018

In Condition 1, adults learned the baseline relations for the three equivalence classes A1-B1-C1-... more In Condition 1, adults learned the baseline relations for the three equivalence classes A1-B1-C1-D1-E1, A2-B2-C2-D2-E2, and A3-B3-C3-D3-E3. Classes contained abstract shapes in the ABS and four preliminary training groups. Each class in the PIC group contained one picture and four abstract shapes. Before class formation for four other groups, preliminary training involved establishing identity (CC) or arbitrary (CX) relations either with or without a delay. Without preliminary training, classes formed with low and high likelihoods in the ABS and PIC groups, respectively. Preliminary training with no delay produced modest increases in class formation, while preliminary training with delay produced large increases in class formation. Condition 2 replicated Condition 1 but with training of reassigned BC and CD relations that linked C from one class to B and D from another class: B1-C2, B2-C3, B3-C1, C2-D1, C3-D2, and C1-D3. Subsequent tests assessed the emergence of the reorganized cla...

Research paper thumbnail of Equivalence class formation as a function of preliminary training with pictorial stimuli

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2018

The present experiment investigated the effects of preliminary training with pictorial stimuli on... more The present experiment investigated the effects of preliminary training with pictorial stimuli on the subsequent formation of three 5-member equivalence classes (A➔B➔C➔D➔E) in 84 university students assigned to seven groups of 12. In the Abstract (ABS) group, all stimuli were abstract shapes. In the Picture (PIC) group, the C stimuli were pictures, and the remaining stimuli were the same abstract shapes as in the ABS group. For the remaining five groups, all stimuli were the same abstract shapes as in the ABS group. However, across groups, preliminary training involved either the establishment of conditional relations with simultaneous (SMTS) or delayed (DMTS) matching-to-sample with 0 s, 3 s, 6 s, or 9 s between the abstract C stimuli and the meaningful pictures. For the ABS and the PIC groups, 16.7% and 83.3% of participants formed classes, respectively. Preliminary training with SMTS and DMTS with 0 s, 3 s, and 6 s produced a linear increase in the likelihood of equivalence class formation, 41.7%, 50%, and 75%, respectively. Increasing the duration of delay further from 6 s to 9 s produced a substantial decline, 50%. This experiment extends knowledge about how including meaningful pictures enhances equivalence class formation.

Research paper thumbnail of Functions of Meaningful Stimuli in Equivalence Class Formation

Research paper thumbnail of Training order and structural location of meaningful stimuli: Effects on equivalence class formation

Learning & Behavior, 2015

In the present study, equivalence class formation was influenced by the temporal point of inclusi... more In the present study, equivalence class formation was influenced by the temporal point of inclusion of a meaningful stimulus when baseline relations were serially or sequentially trained, and much less so by the location of the meaningful stimulus in the nodal structure of the class. In Experiment 1, participants attempted to form three 3-node, 5-member classes (A→B→C→D→E) under the simultaneous protocol. After serially training the baseline relations AB, BC, CD, and DE, in that order, the emergence of all emergent relations was tested concurrently. In the A-as-PIC condition, Awas meaningful stimulus and B to E were meaningless stimulus, and 60 % of the participants formed classes. In addition, classes were formed by 40 %, 70 %, 40 %, and 20 % of the participants in the B-as-PIC, C-as-PIC, D-as-PIC, and E-as-PIC groups, respectively. Thus, the likelihood of class formation could have been influenced by the location of a meaningful stimulus in the class structure and/or by its order of introduction during training. In Experiment 2, we controlled for any effect of order of introduction by the concurrent training of all of the baseline relations. Regardless of the location of the meaningful stimulus, 0-20 % of participants formed classes. Thus, the temporal order of introducing a meaningful stimulus was the primary modulator of the class-enhancing property of meaningful stimuli, and not the location of the meaningful stimulus in the class structure.

Research paper thumbnail of Enhanced equivalence class formation by the delay and relational functions of meaningful stimuli

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2015

Undergraduates in six groups of 10 attempted to form three 3-node 5-member equivalence classes (A... more Undergraduates in six groups of 10 attempted to form three 3-node 5-member equivalence classes (A → B → C → D → E) under the simultaneous protocol. In five of six groups, all stimuli were abstract shapes; in the PIC group, C stimuli were pictures with the remainder being abstract shapes. Before class formation, participants in the Identity-S and Identity-D groups were given preliminary training to form identity conditional discriminations with the C stimuli using simultaneous and 6 s delayed matching-to-sample procedures, respectively. In the Arbitrary-S and Arbitrary-D groups, before class formation, arbitrary conditional discriminations were formed between C and X stimuli using simultaneous and 6 s delayed matching-to-sample procedures, respectively. With no preliminary training, classes in the PIC and ABS groups were formed by 80% and 0% of participants, respectively. After preliminary training, class formation (yield) increased with delay, regardless of relational type. For each of the two delays, yield was slightly greater after forming arbitrary- instead of identity-relations. Yield was greatest, however, when a class contained a meaningful stimulus (PIC). During failed class formation, probes produced experimenter-defined relations, participant-defined relations, and unsystematic responding; delay, but not the relation type in preliminary training influenced relational and indeterminate responding. These results suggest how meaningful stimuli enhance equivalence class formation.

Research paper thumbnail of A behavioral function of meaningful stimuli that enhances the formation of equivalence classes

Research paper thumbnail of Identity and Delay Functions of Meaningful Stimuli: Enhanced Equivalence Class Formation

The Psychological Record, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Two Discriminative Functions of Meaningful Stimuli That Enhance Equivalence Class Formation

The Psychological Record, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Enhancement of equivalence class formation by pretraining discriminative functions

Learning & Behavior, 2014

The present experiment showed that a simple discriminative function acquired by an abstract stimu... more The present experiment showed that a simple discriminative function acquired by an abstract stimulus through simultaneous and/or successive discrimination training enhanced the formation of an equivalence class of which that stimulus was a member. College students attempted to form three equivalence classes composed of three nodes and five members (A→B→C→D→E), using the simultaneous protocol. In the PIC group, the C stimuli were pictures and the A, B, D, and E stimuli were abstract shapes. In the ABS group, all of the stimuli were abstract shapes. In the SIM + SUCC (simultaneous and successive) group, simple discriminations were formed with the C stimuli through both simultaneous and successive discrimination training before class formation. Finally, in the SIM-only and SUCC-only groups, prior to class formation, simple discriminations were established for the C stimuli with a simultaneous procedure and a successive procedure, respectively. Equivalence classes were formed by 80% and 70% of the participants in the PIC and SIM + SUCC groups respectively, by 30% in the SUCC-only group, and by 10% apiece in the ABS and SIM-only groups. Thus, pretraining of combined simultaneous and successive discriminations enhanced class formation, as did the inclusion of a meaningful stimulus in a class. The isolated effect of forming successive discriminations was more influential than that of forming simultaneous discriminations. The establishment of both discriminations together produced an enhancement greater than the sum of the two procedures alone. Finally, a sorting test documented the maintenance of the classes formed during the simultaneous protocol. These results also provide a stimulus control-function account of the class-enhancing effects of meaningful stimuli.

Research paper thumbnail of Effects of a Meaningful, a Discriminative, and a Meaningless Stimulus on Equivalence Class Formation

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Sorting and equivalence class formation

Research paper thumbnail of Functions of Meaningful Stimuli in Equivalence Class Formation

Research paper thumbnail of On the use of morphing techniques in conditional discrimination procedures

Research paper thumbnail of Role of meaningful and meaningless stimuli in stimulus equivalence formation

Research paper thumbnail of On the role of morphing in expanding equivalence classes

Research paper thumbnail of Sorting and equivalence class formation

Research paper thumbnail of Training order and structural location of meaningful stimuli: Effects on equivalence class formation

Learning & behavior, Jan 16, 2015

In the present study, equivalence class formation was influenced by the temporal point of inclusi... more In the present study, equivalence class formation was influenced by the temporal point of inclusion of a meaningful stimulus when baseline relations were serially or sequentially trained, and much less so by the location of the meaningful stimulus in the nodal structure of the class. In Experiment 1, participants attempted to form three 3-node, 5-member classes (A→B→C→D→E) under the simultaneous protocol. After serially training the baseline relations AB, BC, CD, and DE, in that order, the emergence of all emergent relations was tested concurrently. In the A-as-PIC condition, A was meaningful stimulus and B to E were meaningless stimulus, and 60 % of the participants formed classes. In addition, classes were formed by 40 %, 70 %, 40 %, and 20 % of the participants in the B-as-PIC, C-as-PIC, D-as-PIC, and E-as-PIC groups, respectively. Thus, the likelihood of class formation could have been influenced by the location of a meaningful stimulus in the class structure and/or by its order...

Research paper thumbnail of Mimicking Meaningfulness: stimulus equivalence and meaning

Research paper thumbnail of Meaningful Stimuli and the Enhancement of Equivalence Class Formation

Dissertation for the degree of philosophiae doctor (PhD) Department of Behavioral Science Faculty... more Dissertation for the degree of philosophiae doctor (PhD) Department of Behavioral Science Faculty of Health Sciences Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences. Utgivelsesdata Tittel:Meaningful Stimuli and the Enhancement of Equivalence Class FormationForfatter(e):Richard Korley NarteySerie:HiOA avhandlingerIssn:1893-0476Nr:2015 nr 2Utgiver:HiOAAvdeling/fakultet:HFSider:208Pris:305,– ISBN-print:978-82-93208-81-5

Research paper thumbnail of Graded Delay, Enhanced Equivalence Class Formation, and Meaning

The Psychological Record, 2018

Assigned to 12 groups, 120 college students were taught the baseline relations for three equivale... more Assigned to 12 groups, 120 college students were taught the baseline relations for three equivalence classes (A → B → C→ D→ E) using the simultaneous protocol with trials conducted in matching-to-sample format. In 11 of the 12 groups, all stimuli were abstract shapes; in one group (PIC), the A, B, D, and E stimuli were abstract and the C stimuli were pictures. One group with abstract shapes only (ABS) did not receive preliminary training, while 10 other groups received preliminary training before class formation training. In five groups, participants learned identity relations with the C stimuli using 0-, 1-, 3-, 6-, or 9-s delays. In five others, participants learned arbitrary relations between C and X stimuli using the same five delays. Classes were formed by 70 and 0% of participants in the PIC and the ABS groups, respectively. Class formation increased systematically after preliminary training with the 0-s through 6-s delays and decreased after preliminary training with the 9-s delay. Thus, enhanced class formation was a graded, non-monotonic function of delay duration. For each delay, class formation was greater after establishing arbitrary relations than identity relations. The effects of delay in preliminary training on class formation were similar to their effects on the maintenance of the baseline relations in the derived relation tests. Two opposing processes were posited to account for the delay effects on class formation. Finally, we discussed how class enhancement by meaningful stimuli can also be attributed to their relational functions and delays.

Research paper thumbnail of Reorganization of equivalence classes: effects of preliminary training and meaningful stimuli

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, May 1, 2018

In Condition 1, adults learned the baseline relations for the three equivalence classes A1-B1-C1-... more In Condition 1, adults learned the baseline relations for the three equivalence classes A1-B1-C1-D1-E1, A2-B2-C2-D2-E2, and A3-B3-C3-D3-E3. Classes contained abstract shapes in the ABS and four preliminary training groups. Each class in the PIC group contained one picture and four abstract shapes. Before class formation for four other groups, preliminary training involved establishing identity (CC) or arbitrary (CX) relations either with or without a delay. Without preliminary training, classes formed with low and high likelihoods in the ABS and PIC groups, respectively. Preliminary training with no delay produced modest increases in class formation, while preliminary training with delay produced large increases in class formation. Condition 2 replicated Condition 1 but with training of reassigned BC and CD relations that linked C from one class to B and D from another class: B1-C2, B2-C3, B3-C1, C2-D1, C3-D2, and C1-D3. Subsequent tests assessed the emergence of the reorganized cla...

Research paper thumbnail of Equivalence class formation as a function of preliminary training with pictorial stimuli

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2018

The present experiment investigated the effects of preliminary training with pictorial stimuli on... more The present experiment investigated the effects of preliminary training with pictorial stimuli on the subsequent formation of three 5-member equivalence classes (A➔B➔C➔D➔E) in 84 university students assigned to seven groups of 12. In the Abstract (ABS) group, all stimuli were abstract shapes. In the Picture (PIC) group, the C stimuli were pictures, and the remaining stimuli were the same abstract shapes as in the ABS group. For the remaining five groups, all stimuli were the same abstract shapes as in the ABS group. However, across groups, preliminary training involved either the establishment of conditional relations with simultaneous (SMTS) or delayed (DMTS) matching-to-sample with 0 s, 3 s, 6 s, or 9 s between the abstract C stimuli and the meaningful pictures. For the ABS and the PIC groups, 16.7% and 83.3% of participants formed classes, respectively. Preliminary training with SMTS and DMTS with 0 s, 3 s, and 6 s produced a linear increase in the likelihood of equivalence class formation, 41.7%, 50%, and 75%, respectively. Increasing the duration of delay further from 6 s to 9 s produced a substantial decline, 50%. This experiment extends knowledge about how including meaningful pictures enhances equivalence class formation.

Research paper thumbnail of Functions of Meaningful Stimuli in Equivalence Class Formation

Research paper thumbnail of Training order and structural location of meaningful stimuli: Effects on equivalence class formation

Learning & Behavior, 2015

In the present study, equivalence class formation was influenced by the temporal point of inclusi... more In the present study, equivalence class formation was influenced by the temporal point of inclusion of a meaningful stimulus when baseline relations were serially or sequentially trained, and much less so by the location of the meaningful stimulus in the nodal structure of the class. In Experiment 1, participants attempted to form three 3-node, 5-member classes (A→B→C→D→E) under the simultaneous protocol. After serially training the baseline relations AB, BC, CD, and DE, in that order, the emergence of all emergent relations was tested concurrently. In the A-as-PIC condition, Awas meaningful stimulus and B to E were meaningless stimulus, and 60 % of the participants formed classes. In addition, classes were formed by 40 %, 70 %, 40 %, and 20 % of the participants in the B-as-PIC, C-as-PIC, D-as-PIC, and E-as-PIC groups, respectively. Thus, the likelihood of class formation could have been influenced by the location of a meaningful stimulus in the class structure and/or by its order of introduction during training. In Experiment 2, we controlled for any effect of order of introduction by the concurrent training of all of the baseline relations. Regardless of the location of the meaningful stimulus, 0-20 % of participants formed classes. Thus, the temporal order of introducing a meaningful stimulus was the primary modulator of the class-enhancing property of meaningful stimuli, and not the location of the meaningful stimulus in the class structure.

Research paper thumbnail of Enhanced equivalence class formation by the delay and relational functions of meaningful stimuli

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2015

Undergraduates in six groups of 10 attempted to form three 3-node 5-member equivalence classes (A... more Undergraduates in six groups of 10 attempted to form three 3-node 5-member equivalence classes (A → B → C → D → E) under the simultaneous protocol. In five of six groups, all stimuli were abstract shapes; in the PIC group, C stimuli were pictures with the remainder being abstract shapes. Before class formation, participants in the Identity-S and Identity-D groups were given preliminary training to form identity conditional discriminations with the C stimuli using simultaneous and 6 s delayed matching-to-sample procedures, respectively. In the Arbitrary-S and Arbitrary-D groups, before class formation, arbitrary conditional discriminations were formed between C and X stimuli using simultaneous and 6 s delayed matching-to-sample procedures, respectively. With no preliminary training, classes in the PIC and ABS groups were formed by 80% and 0% of participants, respectively. After preliminary training, class formation (yield) increased with delay, regardless of relational type. For each of the two delays, yield was slightly greater after forming arbitrary- instead of identity-relations. Yield was greatest, however, when a class contained a meaningful stimulus (PIC). During failed class formation, probes produced experimenter-defined relations, participant-defined relations, and unsystematic responding; delay, but not the relation type in preliminary training influenced relational and indeterminate responding. These results suggest how meaningful stimuli enhance equivalence class formation.

Research paper thumbnail of A behavioral function of meaningful stimuli that enhances the formation of equivalence classes

Research paper thumbnail of Identity and Delay Functions of Meaningful Stimuli: Enhanced Equivalence Class Formation

The Psychological Record, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Two Discriminative Functions of Meaningful Stimuli That Enhance Equivalence Class Formation

The Psychological Record, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Enhancement of equivalence class formation by pretraining discriminative functions

Learning & Behavior, 2014

The present experiment showed that a simple discriminative function acquired by an abstract stimu... more The present experiment showed that a simple discriminative function acquired by an abstract stimulus through simultaneous and/or successive discrimination training enhanced the formation of an equivalence class of which that stimulus was a member. College students attempted to form three equivalence classes composed of three nodes and five members (A→B→C→D→E), using the simultaneous protocol. In the PIC group, the C stimuli were pictures and the A, B, D, and E stimuli were abstract shapes. In the ABS group, all of the stimuli were abstract shapes. In the SIM + SUCC (simultaneous and successive) group, simple discriminations were formed with the C stimuli through both simultaneous and successive discrimination training before class formation. Finally, in the SIM-only and SUCC-only groups, prior to class formation, simple discriminations were established for the C stimuli with a simultaneous procedure and a successive procedure, respectively. Equivalence classes were formed by 80% and 70% of the participants in the PIC and SIM + SUCC groups respectively, by 30% in the SUCC-only group, and by 10% apiece in the ABS and SIM-only groups. Thus, pretraining of combined simultaneous and successive discriminations enhanced class formation, as did the inclusion of a meaningful stimulus in a class. The isolated effect of forming successive discriminations was more influential than that of forming simultaneous discriminations. The establishment of both discriminations together produced an enhancement greater than the sum of the two procedures alone. Finally, a sorting test documented the maintenance of the classes formed during the simultaneous protocol. These results also provide a stimulus control-function account of the class-enhancing effects of meaningful stimuli.

Research paper thumbnail of Effects of a Meaningful, a Discriminative, and a Meaningless Stimulus on Equivalence Class Formation

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Sorting and equivalence class formation

Research paper thumbnail of Functions of Meaningful Stimuli in Equivalence Class Formation

Research paper thumbnail of On the use of morphing techniques in conditional discrimination procedures

Research paper thumbnail of Role of meaningful and meaningless stimuli in stimulus equivalence formation

Research paper thumbnail of On the role of morphing in expanding equivalence classes

Research paper thumbnail of Sorting and equivalence class formation

Research paper thumbnail of Training order and structural location of meaningful stimuli: Effects on equivalence class formation

Learning & behavior, Jan 16, 2015

In the present study, equivalence class formation was influenced by the temporal point of inclusi... more In the present study, equivalence class formation was influenced by the temporal point of inclusion of a meaningful stimulus when baseline relations were serially or sequentially trained, and much less so by the location of the meaningful stimulus in the nodal structure of the class. In Experiment 1, participants attempted to form three 3-node, 5-member classes (A→B→C→D→E) under the simultaneous protocol. After serially training the baseline relations AB, BC, CD, and DE, in that order, the emergence of all emergent relations was tested concurrently. In the A-as-PIC condition, A was meaningful stimulus and B to E were meaningless stimulus, and 60 % of the participants formed classes. In addition, classes were formed by 40 %, 70 %, 40 %, and 20 % of the participants in the B-as-PIC, C-as-PIC, D-as-PIC, and E-as-PIC groups, respectively. Thus, the likelihood of class formation could have been influenced by the location of a meaningful stimulus in the class structure and/or by its order...