Derived Stimulus Relations and Their Role in a Behavior-Analytic Account of Human Language and Cognition
Derived stimulus relations are the behavior analyst's ready-made lab model for language and higher cognition.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Barnes-Holmes et al. (2018) wrote a big-picture paper. They pulled together 30 years of work on derived stimulus relations.
The authors argue that equivalence and RFT data give behavior analysts a working model of language and thinking.
What they found
The review claims that derived relations are the engine of human language. Without them, symbolic behavior makes no sense.
The paper says these effects are pure operant behavior. No inner dictionary needed.
How this fits with other research
Barnes-Holmes et al. (2005) showed ERPs track equivalence like real semantic networks. Barnes-Holmes folds that brain data into the story.
Najdowski et al. (2003) warned behavior analysts: ignore RFT at your peril. The 2018 paper answers by making RFT the star of the show.
de Rose (2022) pushes the idea further. If derived relations run language, they also run art appreciation. The 2018 frame now covers poetry and paintings.
Why it matters
You can stop hunting for the mind in the skin. Teach equivalence classes and watch new meanings emerge without direct training. Use RFT protocols when you want generative language gains in kids with autism or typical adults. Pick stimuli that already carry meaning—Fields et al. (2018) show this speeds class formation. Let learners invent a short story linking the stimuli—Moustakis et al. (2018) prove this boosts later transitivity. In short, build relational networks on purpose, not by accident.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This article describes how the study of derived stimulus relations has provided the basis for a behavior–analytic approach to the study of human language and cognition in purely functional–analytic terms, with a focus on basic rather than applied research. The article begins with a brief history of the early behavior–analytic approach to human language and cognition, focusing on Skinner’s (1957) text Verbal Behavior, his subsequent introduction of the concept of instructional control (Skinner, 1966), and Sidman’s (1994) seminal research on stimulus equivalence relations. The article then considers how the concept of derived stimulus relations, as conceptualized within relational frame theory (Hayes et al., 2001), allowed researchers to refine and extend the functional approach to language and cognition in multiple ways. Finally, the article considers some recent conceptual and empirical developments that highlight how the concept of derived stimulus relations continues to play a key role in the behavior–analytic study of human language and cognition, particularly implicit cognition. In general, the article aims to provide a particular perspective on how the study of derived stimulus relations has facilitated and enhanced the behavior analysis of human language and cognition, particularly over the past 25–30 years.
Perspectives on Behavior Science, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s40614-017-0124-7