Sidman, M. (2000).
Equivalence relations and the reinforcement contingency.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,
74, 127-146.
Where do equivalence relations come from? One possible answer is
that they arise directly from the reinforcement contingency. That
is to say, a reinforcement contingency produces two types of
outcome: (a) 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, or n-term units of analysis
that are known, respectively, as operant reinforcement, simple
discrimination, conditional discrimination, second-order
conditional discrimination, and so on; and (b) equivalence
relations that consist of ordered pairs of all positive elements
that participate in the contingency. This conception of the
origin of equivalence relations leads to a number of new and
verifiable ways of conceptualizing equivalence relations and,
more generally, the stimulus control of operant behavior. The
theory is also capable of experimental disproof.
Key words: stimulus control, equivalence relations, conditional
discrimination, matching to sample, simple discrimination, theory
of equivalence relations