Abstract

MATOS, Maria Amélia. Conditional stimulus control, acquisition of conceptual classes and cognitive behavior. Rev. bras. ter. comport. cogn. [online]. 1999, vol.1, n.2, pp. 159-178. ISSN 1517-5545.

This paper is a brief review of the main concepts, procedures and data existing in the area of conditional stimulus control of behavior; its main focus being those concepts, procedures and data relevant to the study of equivalence relations. The adequacy of this approach to the study of complex behavioral processes, such as the development of conceptual classes, is discussed. Contributions of the area to understand language acquisition, to develop procedures to access covert events, and to study operant-respondent interactions, are described. A few distinctions between a behavior analysis approach to such matters and a mentalist approach are pointed out.

Keywords : stimulus control; conditional discriminations; equivalence relations; stimulus classes.

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