Emergent relationships between stimuli and symbolic function: implications for behavior, knowledge and teaching

Abstract

A central function of the mind is the use and manipulation of symbols. The present proposal is based on a behavioral model that conceives the relationship between symbol and referent as an equivalence relation, with generative potential that gives rise to novel relations. The proposal comprises research articulated around two axes. The first comprises the investigation of symbolic function and its prerequisites, with the specific objectives of: 1) to clarify the necessary and sufficient conditions for equivalence relations; 2) to investigate the potential of nonhuman organisms to exhibit pre-symbolic generative relations; 3) to validate the equivalence model through experimental studies of the acquisition of symbolic function. The second axis comprises research on teaching applications, with the objectives of investigating processes of recombinativa generalization in reading and spelling, and developing procedures to teach reading and spelling to children with learning disabilities, individuals with mental retardation, and illiterate adults. (AU)