The selective action of Cfunc control
Cfunc stimuli really do act like ‘function switches’ in derived relations—lab evidence shows they selectively control which new functions transfer to novel stimuli.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Finn et al. (2021) built a video-car race.
Adults first learned that shapes in the race had speed or direction powers.
Next they matched shapes into equivalence classes.
Finally they saw new shapes steer the car.
The team asked: did only the Cfunc-linked power transfer to the new shapes?
What they found
Yes. The car moved fast only if the new shape shared a class with the speed Cfunc symbol.
Direction worked the same way.
The virtual race showed that Cfunc cues act like on-off switches for which functions travel through equivalence.
How this fits with other research
Tantam et al. (1993) first proved that functions can hop through equivalence.
They trained one cue to control response speed; any related cue later did the same.
Finn’s work extends that idea by showing the hop is not random—Cfunc labels pick which function jumps.
Haimson et al. (2009) used brain waves to show equivalence classes forming.
Their ERP data and Finn’s race game both use matching-to-sample, but Finn adds a way to see selective control in behavior, not just brain waves.
Why it matters
You now have a clear lab model for how contextual cues shape what clients learn without direct teaching.
When you teach safety signs, try giving each a unique ‘function tag’ color or word.
Check if only the tagged function, not every related skill, transfers to new signs.
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Join Free →Pick one target function (e.g., ‘stop’) and pair it with a unique color card while teaching equivalence; later probe only that function with novel stimuli to see if the color card ‘switched’ the transfer on.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
According to relational frame theory Cfunc stimuli select which stimulus properties are transformed via derived stimulus relations. To date there has been no demonstration of the selective action of Cfunc control. We provide an analysis of the requirements for such a demonstration, and describe the results from four experiments employing a paradigm consistent with these requirements. We employed a paradigm based on virtual car races. The paradigm had two components: i) a sample racecar screen which showed the performance of a sample racecar, and used experimentally engineered symbols to communicate how the performance of each real racecar would compare with that of the sample racecar, and ii) a car race screen showing other racecars race. Two symbols were established as Crels for the relations of same and different, and two symbols were established as Cfuncs for the functional properties of speed and direction. The results from these experiments demonstrate Cfunc stimuli can select which functions transform via derived stimulus relations, a central component of relational frame theory. The study has implications for the study of relational responding in complex settings and for applied work aimed at refining repertoires of relational responding.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2021 · doi:10.1002/jeab.717