Emergence of equivalence relations among stimuli previously related by exclusion was assessed by using the blank-comparison-stimulus procedure throughout baseline and test trials, in order to avoid problems involved in testing emergent relations with either baseline or novel stimuli as S– comparisons. In Experiment 1, participants were exposed to pretraining phases in order to learn to respond to a blank comparison stimulus as the correct one when the other comparison stimuli were incorrect. Then, they learned a baseline of conditional relations for the emergence of stimulus Classes 1 and 2. Thereafter, they were exposed to exclusion trials, in which stimuli from the preexperimentally defined Class 3 were introduced as undefined stimuli, whereas baseline stimuli were defined. They were then presented with symmetry and transitivity trials for all three classes (Group 1), or only Class 3 (Group 2), in three-choice matching trials. Most participants in Group 2 related stimuli previously related by exclusion as if they were in an equivalence relation, but most participants in Group 1 did not. In Experiment 2, most participants of a single group (Group 3) showed emergence of equivalence by exclusion and transfer of stimuli functions when exposition to exclusion trials occurred after demonstration of equivalence of the baseline classes, and assessment of equivalence was conducted for the three classes in two-choice matching trials. Conditions under which the emergence of equivalence by exclusion occurs are discussed.

在整个基线和测试试验中，通过使用空白比较刺激程序评估了先前与排斥相关的刺激之间的等效关系的出现，从而避免了在测试与基线或新刺激之间的紧急关系作为S–比较时所涉及的问题。在实验1中，参与者被暴露在预训练阶段，以便学会在其他比较刺激不正确时对空白比较刺激做出正确反应。然后，他们学习了出现1级和2级刺激的条件关系基线。此后，他们接受了排除试验，其中将来自实验前定义的3类的刺激引入为未定义的刺激，而定义了基线刺激。然后，在三项选择匹配试验中，对所有三个类别（第1组）或仅第3类（第2组）进行对称性和传递性试验。第2组的大多数参与者以前都是通过排斥来关联刺激，就好像它们处于同等关系中，而第1组的大多数参与者则没有。在实验2中，单个小组（第3组）的大多数参与者在证明基线级别相等后进行了排他性试验时，通过排除和转移刺激功能表现出了相等性，并对这三个类进行了等效性评估在二选匹配试验中。讨论了通过排除出现等效条件的条件。第2组的大多数参与者以前都是通过排斥来关联刺激，就好像它们处于同等关系中，而第1组的大多数参与者则没有。在实验2中，单个组（第3组）的大多数参与者在证明基线类等效后发生暴露试验时，通过排除和转移刺激功能表现出等效性，并对这三个类进行了等效性评估在二选匹配试验中。讨论了通过排除出现等效条件的条件。第2组的大多数参与者以前都是通过排斥来关联刺激，就好像它们处于同等关系中，而第1组的大多数参与者则没有。在实验2中，单个组（第3组）的大多数参与者在证明基线类等效后发生暴露试验时，通过排除和转移刺激功能表现出等效性，并对这三个类进行了等效性评估在二选匹配试验中。讨论了通过排除出现等效条件的条件。当证明基线水平的等效性后，进行暴露试验时，大多数单组（第3组）参与者通过排斥和转移刺激功能而表现出等效性，并且在三项选择中对三个类别进行了等效性评估匹配试验。讨论了通过排除出现等效条件的条件。当证明基线水平的等效性后进行暴露试验时，大多数单个组（第3组）的参与者通过排斥和转移刺激功能表现出等效性，并且在三项选择中对三个类别进行了等效性评估匹配试验。讨论了通过排除出现等效条件的条件。