4.36 Derived Stimulus Relations and Non-Human Animals
For example, it is much easier to demonstrate derived stimulus relations with language-able humans than with animals or humans without language1. It has not yet been reliably demonstrated with animals (despite several decades of trying)2,3,4.
Derived Stimulus Relations:
Provide a model for understanding the symbolism and generativity of language
Are much easier to demonstrate with language-able humans than with non-human animals
- Devany, J.M., Hayes, S.C., and Nelson, R.O. (1986). Equivalence class formation in language-able and language-disabled children. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 46, 243-257.
- Dugdale, N., and Lowe, C. F. (2000). Testing for symmetry in the conditional discriminations of language trained chimpanzees. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 73, 5-22.
- Galizio, M., & Bruce, K. E. (2018). Abstraction, multiple exemplar training and the search for derived stimulus relations in animals. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 41, 45-67.
- Hayes, S. C. (1989). Nonhumans have not yet shown stimulus equivalence. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 51 (3), 385-392.
- Lionello-DeNolf, K.M. and Urcuioli, P.J. (2002). Stimulus control topographies and tests of symmetry in pigeons. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 78, 467-495.
Love the dog! I feel encouraged that humans are still the beings who can demonstrate language relations.
Still, we have had a couple of border collies and they are quite remarkable!
This does reflect the research when I was into equivalence, but I still suspect it is unfair. We thought for a long time cats were less intelligent than dogs but then realized dogs have a more similar to human expression of intelligence. If other animals are not deriving relations it would seem to really inhibit their ability to interact with the world – admittedly possibly not symbolic relations. If they are doing it another way that is really interesting and opens up possibilities for understanding the world differently. I suspect it is more likely they are doing it but not yet in ways that we understand in our experimentation. Pretty sure dogs have learned the symbolic relationship with “treat” and “walk” and despite taking them on a different walk each time and using different treats can generalize this nicely in ways that sure suggest they are doing something similar at least in their interaction with us and our symbol usage. I’d be curious about something like a cuttlefish that supposedly have hundreds of skin patterns that predictably they show in response to video of other cuttlefish patterns – may have a visual based language that I would think would have derived stimulus relations (maybe I just haven’t seen that study yet)