Reflexivity - 40 Hour RBT® Online Training

Reflexivity

In Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), reflexivity is a concept in derived relational responding, particularly within stimulus equivalence. Reflexivity refers to a learner’s ability to match a stimulus to itself without any prior training. This means that the individual can identify that a given stimulus is identical to another instance of that same stimulus.

Example

If a child is presented with a picture of a cat (Stimulus A) and then is asked to select the matching picture from an array that includes other animals, and the child selects the same picture of the cat (Stimulus A), this demonstrates reflexivity. The child is matching the picture of the cat with an identical picture of the cat, showing that the relation “A = A” is understood.

Reflexivity is one of the three components of stimulus equivalence, along with symmetry and transitivity.

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