Transitive inference and transitivity: Two sides of the same coin?

Abstract

Two distinctive nonverbal procedures match verbal transitive syllogisms: (1) transitive inference (TI), often presented as an analogy to verbal transitive inference, and (2) transitivity (TR), commonly discussed in the context of emergent relations and stimulus equivalence. Although the tasks are often used interchangeably in human studies, it remains unclear whether they rely on similar behavioral strategies or engage the same brain areas in nonhuman animals. This review examines similarities and differences between the TI task and the TR task, concluding that existing research does not clearly indicate whether they share a common cognitive domain. Additionally, the review outlines future research directions (investigating task difficulty, exploring underlying neural circuitry, examining individual behavioral differences, and developing a unified computational model) that will be essential for clarifying this relationship.