Add new term: mechanism of action through generalisation gradient

[oleksiikartashovde-glitch]

Module: Mechanisms of Action
Suggested parent class: BCIO_006000 (behaviour change intervention mechanism of action)
Proposed label: mechanism of action through generalisation gradient

Definition: A behaviour change intervention mechanism of action in which the causal
influence operates through the transfer of a learned or evolutionarily prepared response
from a training stimulus to a novel stimulus, where transfer magnitude decreases as a
function of the psychological distance between stimuli according to Shepard's universal
law of generalisation: g(d) = e^(−d).

Examples: transfer of trust response from a credible source to a visually similar
source; transfer of procedural skill from a training context to a novel but structurally
similar context; activation of narrative associations by a symbol structurally similar
to narrative elements.

Rationale: Shepard's law (1987) describes a universal regularity in generalisation
across species and stimulus domains. In behaviour change contexts this mechanism underlies
skill transfer, source credibility transfer, and narrative generalisation — phenomena
currently not captured by any existing MoA class. The mechanism operates pre-consciously
and does not require explicit recognition of similarity by the participant.

References:

• Shepard, R.N. (1987). Toward a universal law of generalization for psychological science. Science, 237, 1317–1323.
• Tenenbaum, J.B., & Griffiths, T.L. (2001). Generalization, similarity, and Bayesian inference. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24(4), 629–640.

Suggested label: new term