This study evaluated the formation of stimuli classes through two different conditional relations (AB and AC). It used the consistency matching procedure, without immediate differential reinforcement and fading. After each training block, a symmetry or equivalence test was applied. The participants were four pre-school children and were exposed to a teaching procedure divided in two separated steps. At Step 1, usual stimuli were used. And at Step 2, non-usual stimuli were presented. For each sample, three comparison stimuli were appeared at the same time, one of those was consistently matched with a established sample. Both stimuli (correct comparison and sample) were faded during the training. Symmetry was observed in the performances of two participants on Step 1, but there were not emergent relations obtained in Step 2. Two participants transferred the obtained acting in a step to the other, as a type of arbitrary learning set. The results indicate that the sequence of training and tests and the nature of the stimuli at the first step were important variable for successful performance.
Stimuli relations; Consistency training; Test order; Training history; Children
