Abstract
Stimulus equivalence has been used as a framework for analyzing linguistic and cognitive functions of human behavior. In this paper, I review recent research on stimulus equivalence. First, I describe how linguistic and cognitive functions may be explained as stimulus-stimulus relationships from the perspective of behavior analysis, and how conditional discrimination can produce derived stimulus relationships, such as stimulus equivalence. Various aspects of linguistic function, such as semantics, syntactics, pragmatics, and a variety of verbal response repertoires, have been analyzed using the stimulus equivalence paradigm. Stimulus equivalence analysis has also been applied to the sutudy of cognitive function, such as concept formation, the hierarchical structure of meaning, and inference. Recent issues in research on nonhumans, the effects of the naming response, and methodological problems are also discussed. Finally, higher-ordered conditional discrimination and relational frames are examined in terms of expansion of the theory and applicability of the paradigm.
