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Effects of Trial-Specific Verbal Descriptions on Matching-to-Sample Performances of Children and Adults

Effects of verbal descriptions of stimulus relations on second-order identity matching were evaluated by arranging a sentence-completion requirement prior to matching a comparison to a sample stimulus. Sixteen college students (X=19 years) and 16 elementary school children (X=10 years) participated. Three experimental groups at each age were exposed to variants in the sentence completion format: descriptions of (1) matching contingencies, (2) relevant stimulus dimensions, or (3) choice performance. A control group had no exposure to sentences. Effects of verbal descriptions were evaluated on acquisition and transfer of matching. Across ages, experimental groups demonstrated higher accuracy during training and transfer tests. Between ages, adults matched more accurately than children; only control children never matched above chance. These findings are discussed in terms of the influence of verbal behavior on the acquisition and transfer of inductive repertoires in humans.