Doctoral Student Profile

Jennifer Kinloch

Supervisors: Mary Foster, James McEwan

Comparison of matching-to-sample and paired-stimulus procedures in the formation of derived relations
My research looks at the way that people learn to form associations, and at the development of relations between different things that have not been paired together, or trained explicitly. The development of these relations is thought to occur in verbally able humans only, and is implicated in the development of language, as well as some psychological disorders. My research compares the effectiveness of two procedures for facilitating the development of these relations within an experimental setting. Identifying the most effective method is a necessary precursor to exploring how these relations are maintained, disrupted, or removed once they have formed.