Healy, Barnes, & Smeets, 1998

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APA Citation: 

Healy, O., Barnes, D., & Smeets, P. M. (1998). Derived relational responding as an operant: The effects of between-session feedback. The Psychological Record, 48, 511-536.

Type of Publication: 
RFT: Empirical
Abstract: 

The study presents information on five related experiments which examined the effects of differential consequences on derived responding. The results showed that, in general, derived relational responding was highly sensitive to the response-contingent feedback and this responding was more frequent when precise feedback was used. Overall, the data are consistent with the suggestion that derived relational responding may be viewed as generalized operant behavior.

Comments: 
Delivering accurate or inaccurate feedback to subjects following a test for derived equivalence relations produces responding on subsequent tests that is consistent with that feedback. One of the first to demonstrate the operant nature of relation responding.
Key Words: 
relational frame theory, stimulus equivalence, equivalence relations