Two experiments demonstrated the efficacy of sample stimulus‐control shaping programs for teaching arbitrary matching to 4 subjects who did not acquire the performances via standard methods (i.e., differential reinforcement and, in two cases, comparison intensity fading). All 4 had previously demonstrated identity matching with two‐dimensional forms. Identity matching performances were then transformed into arbitrary matching by gradually changing the sample stimuli until they no longer resembled the comparison stimuli. Where applicable, these methods may have advantages over others that have been used after the failure of standard techniques. 1992 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
