Predicting and Influencing the Single-Trial-Type-Dominance-Effect: the First Study

Abstract

A recently published article reported a particular pattern of responding that has been observed on the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP), referred to as a Single-Trial-Type-Dominance-Effect (STTDE; Finn, Barnes-Holmes, & McEnteggart in The Psychological Record, 68(1), 11–25, 2018). To account for the phenomenon, the Differential Arbitrarily Applicable Relational Responding Effects (DAARRE) model of IRAP performance was proposed. The DAARRE model predicts the STTDE in terms of an overlap in the functional properties of the label, target, and response-option stimuli presented within an IRAP. This article presents an initial attempt at engineering a STTDE within an experimental session. Forty participants were exposed to a series of training procedures and IRAPs. The training procedures consisted of a series of trials that aimed to establish a “True” function for a picture stimulus that was subsequently presented in the IRAP; participants were then exposed to an IRAP in which participants were required to respond “True” on a specific trial-type that presented that picture. Consistent with the DAARRE model, the STTDE emerged for the predicted trial-type, with analyses at both the group and individual participant level supporting this conclusion. The implications of the findings for future research on analyzing the dynamics of arbitrarily applicable relational responding are discussed.