Emergent Stimulus Relations are when learners make unexpected connections between things they’ve learned, even without direct teaching. These are like "aha!" moments, showing how our brains naturally link information together.
The key word here is untrained. Emergent stimulus relations are a demonstration of generalization in action regarding learning. Isn’t it amazing that as learners, we can make connections that we haven’t even been directly taught?
Reflexivity: This is when a learner recognizes and matches something to itself (A = A), even without being taught.
Example
A preschooler playing with blocks sorts all the red ones into a pile without specific instructions to do so.
A child using stickers organizes identical star stickers together, even though they were only taught to put them on paper.
Symmetry: Happens when a learner is taught A = B and then realizes B = A without explicit instruction.
Example
A student learns that “2” equals “two” in a lesson. Later, when shown the word “two,” they say, “That’s 2!”
A parent teaches their child that the picture of a dog means the word "dog." Later, the child sees the word "dog" and points to a picture of a dog.
Transitivity Transitivity occurs when a learner is taught that A = B and B = C, and then demonstrates the understanding that A = C.
Example
A child learns that the spoken word "apple" matches a picture of an apple, and the picture of an apple matches the written word "apple." Without being taught, the child connects the spoken and written words.
During circle time, a teacher shows a picture of the sun and says it means "day." Later, the child hears "day" and associates it with a sunny sky.
Stimulus Equivalence: when learners demonstrate reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity, they build complex understanding. It’s like watching them connect the dots to see the full picture!
Generative Learning: when a learner’s previously learned skills allow them to acquire new skills without being directly taught or reinforced.
Examples:
A child who learned “Can I have more juice?” and “Can I have a toy?” surprises you by asking, “Can I have more crackers?”
A teacher introduces rhyming words like "cat," "bat," and "hat." Later, a student independently rhymes “dog” with “log” during story time.
Emergent Relations and Generative Performance
Children often surprise us with their ability to “connect the dots” in ways we never explicitly taught them. This is thanks to emergent relations and generative performance—concepts that explain how learners build on their knowledge to learn even more.
Emergent relations: children learn new responses by combining pieces of what they’ve already learned. These connections haven’t been directly taught but are derived from prior teaching.
Example:
A child learns that the picture of a dog means the word "dog" and that the word "dog" means a bark sound. Without being taught, the child connects the bark sound to the picture of the dog.
Generative performance: occurs when a child uses these emergent relations to solve problems or show new skills, instead of relying only on what was directly taught.
Example:
A child who was taught how to ask for “juice” and “water” suddenly surprises you by asking for “milk” in the same way, even though they were never taught to request it.
How Do Untrained Relations Happen?
This process is called stimulus equivalence—when a child learns that different things in their environment share the same meaning or role.
🔑Key Skills That Build Stimulus Equivalence🔑
Reflexivity (Identical Matching)Reflexivity is when a child can recognize and match something to itself (A = A), even without being taught.
Example: A child playing with toy animals groups all the elephants together, even though they were only shown how to group lions last week.
Symmetry (Reverse Understanding)Symmetry happens when a child is taught A = B, and they figure out that B = A on their own.
Example: A teacher shows a student the written word “apple” and says it matches a picture of an apple. Later, when shown the picture, the student says, “apple.”
Transitivity (Connecting the Dots)Transitivity is when a child learns A = B and B = C, then realizes A = C without being directly taught.
Example: A child learns that a drawing of a cat means the word “cat” and that the word “cat” means the sound “meow.” Without help, they connect the drawing to the sound “meow.”
These untrained relations—often called "learning leaps"—allow children to acquire knowledge and skills much faster. You don’t have to teach them everything explicitly because their minds are naturally making connections. This is like setting up dominoes: once a few key ones are in place, the rest fall into place on their own.
Generative Learning and Beyond
Recombinative Generalization Children mix and match learned skills to respond to new situations.
Example: A student who learns “red ball” and “blue car” can describe a “blue ball” without being taught.
Emergent Tact Relations Children label or describe things in new ways without direct instruction.
Example: A child taught the word “sun” sees a sunrise and says, “Morning sun.”
Emergent Mand Relations Children make new requests by combining what they’ve learned.
Example: A child taught to say, “Help, please” and “Toy, please” asks, “Help with toy, please” without being taught this specific phrase.
Understanding these processes gives us insight into how children think and learn. We don’t need to teach every single detail—what we do need is to create strong foundations that allow children to build new skills independently. When you notice these “learning leaps” in your child or student, it’s a sign that they’re developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.