Studying relating of relational networks is a complex and challenging task. The main objective of the present study was to demonstrate relating within and across relational networks based on same/opposite and bigger/smaller contextual cues and establish antecedent control. After nonarbitrary pretraining of the contextual cues, two nonsense stimulus classes were established based on comparative relations. Participants were trained to select stimuli from an array of options based on a symbolic rule that established a relation between two stimuli: one of Network 1 and one of Network 2. Training involved relating Network 1 to Network 2, and testing assessed relating Network 2 to Network 1. Seven of eight participants reached the mastery criterion in training and responded accordingly in test. In a final stage, reinforcing and punishing consequences were varied systematically in the presence of two novel stimuli and antecedent control was observed for all 7 participants. Experiment 2 replicated the results of Experiment 1 but using contextual cues taken from natural language, and Experiment 3 sought to understand the effects of pretraining relational responding using natural language. The mastery criteria were reached by four of seven participants in Experiment 2 and by all eight participants in Experiment 3. Future studies could develop and refine the methods employed here in analyzing the relating of relational networks, thus allowing for an increasingly sophisticated behavior-analytic account of human language and cognition.

中文翻译：

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关联关系网络：初步实验分析

研究关系网络的关联是一项复杂且具有挑战性的任务。本研究的主要目的是基于相同/相反和更大/更小的上下文线索来证明关系网络内部和之间的关联，并建立先行控制。在对上下文线索进行非任意预训练后，基于比较关系建立了两个无意义刺激类别。参与者接受训练，根据符号规则从一系列选项中选择刺激，该符号规则建立了两个刺激之间的关系：网络 1 之一和网络 2 之一。培训涉及将网络 1 与网络 2 相关联，测试评估将网络 2 与网络 2 相关联。网络 1. 八名参与者中的七名在训练中达到了掌握标准，并在测试中做出了相应的反应。在最后阶段，在存在两种新刺激的情况下，强化和惩罚后果有系统地变化，并且所有 7 名参与者都观察到了先行控制。实验 2 复制了实验 1 的结果，但使用了自然语言中的上下文线索，实验 3 试图了解使用自然语言预训练关系响应的效果。实验 2 中七名参与者中的四名以及实验 3 中所有八名参与者均达到了掌握标准。未来的研究可以开发和完善此处用于分析关系网络相关性的方法，从而允许日益复杂的行为分析帐户人类的语言和认知。实验 2 复制了实验 1 的结果，但使用了自然语言中的上下文线索，实验 3 试图了解使用自然语言预训练关系响应的效果。实验 2 中七名参与者中的四名以及实验 3 中所有八名参与者均达到了掌握标准。未来的研究可以开发和完善此处用于分析关系网络相关性的方法，从而允许日益复杂的行为分析帐户人类的语言和认知。实验 2 复制了实验 1 的结果，但使用了自然语言中的上下文线索，实验 3 试图了解使用自然语言预训练关系响应的效果。实验 2 中七名参与者中的四名以及实验 3 中所有八名参与者均达到了掌握标准。未来的研究可以开发和完善此处用于分析关系网络相关性的方法，从而允许日益复杂的行为分析帐户人类的语言和认知。