Categorização emergente entre múltiplas categorias

Abstract

The present study aimed to establish three equivalence classes using Chinese characters and abstract figures. The procedure consisted of a matching-to-sample task involving fifty-four Chinese characters belonging to the categories CG, CH, CI, DJ, DK and DL, and three abstract figures from class A. Subsequently, conditional discrimination training involved class A and three additional abstract figures, B. Following the training of the CA, DA, and AB relations, the potential derived transitive relations CB and DB, as well as the global equivalence class with emergent categorization BD, CD, and DC, were evaluated. The evaluated results suggest that the experiment did not consistently produce the formation of three equivalence classes, particularly in the assessment of emergent categorization under the conditions of the experimental design. However, some participants displayed partial performance in specific classes. Therefore, despite the limitations of the experimental conditions, such as the fixed order of blocks and the final evaluation of multiple relations without feedback, future studies could compare training structures and protocols with and without intermediate tests, allowing for a distinct evaluation of the role of the protocol and the properties of the stimuli.