On the Influence of Private Stimulus Magnitude When Reporting Private Events

Author

Christian T. Hickman, University of the PacificFollow

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Corey Stocco

First Committee Member

Matthew Normand

Second Committee Member

Carolynn Kohn

Abstract

The nature of private events provides challenges to developing a scientific understanding of the conditions under which humans learn to describe private events. Replicating and extending procedures from Stocco et al. (2014), we further evaluated the conditions under which verbal responses come under the control of private stimuli. Given that some participants vocal responses came under the control of public stimuli in Stocco et al. (2014), we implemented more subtle public accompaniments with all participants to reduce the likelihood of public stimuli acquiring control of participant’s verbal responses. Further, we systematically manipulated the visual clarity of the presented stimuli using blur effects to simulate varying magnitudes of private stimuli. Participants were four undergraduate students who vocally responded to these novel private stimuli within a listener contingency reversal design. Three of four participants acquired tacts of the private stimuli. Our results suggest that tacts of private stimulation can be established regardless of magnitude when public accompaniments strongly correspond with private stimulation and listener reinforcement practices are stable in acquisition. These findings further support the necessity of analog arrangements to investigate private events empirically.

Pages

35

Recommended Citation

Hickman, Christian T.. (2024). On the Influence of Private Stimulus Magnitude When Reporting Private Events. University of the Pacific, Thesis. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/4279