Which concept involves deriving a relation between stimuli that are not directly linked but connected through a chain?

Which concept involves deriving a relation between stimuli that are not directly linked but connected through a chain?

• A. Stimulus Equivalence
• B. Transitivity
• C. Reflexivity
• D. Symmetry

Answer: (B)

Transitivity describes deriving a relation between stimuli that aren’t directly linked but are connected through a chain. If the learner has learned that A relates to B and B relates to C, they can infer that A relates to C without training on that specific pair. This chaining is how new, untrained relations emerge and is a key aspect of how stimulus relations can generalize. Stimulus equivalence is a broader framework that includes transitivity along with reflexivity and symmetry, but the scenario described focuses on the chaining that produces a new relation. Reflexivity involves a stimulus relating to itself, and symmetry means a relation can go in the reverse direction; neither describes deriving a new link through a chain.

Transitivity describes deriving a relation between stimuli that aren’t directly linked but are connected through a chain. If the learner has learned that A relates to B and B relates to C, they can infer that A relates to C without training on that specific pair. This chaining is how new, untrained relations emerge and is a key aspect of how stimulus relations can generalize. Stimulus equivalence is a broader framework that includes transitivity along with reflexivity and symmetry, but the scenario described focuses on the chaining that produces a new relation. Reflexivity involves a stimulus relating to itself, and symmetry means a relation can go in the reverse direction; neither describes deriving a new link through a chain.