Masters Theses
Date of Award
6-1960
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Psychology
Major Professor
Dr. Gerald R. Pascal
Committee Members
Dr. William O. Jenkins, Dr. Clifford Swesen, Dr. Merritt Moore, & Dr. William Cole
Abstract
A great deal of research has been done in the general area of manipulating reinforcement parameters. However, reinforcement per se has rarely been varied systematically from trial to trial. The research exceptions have been indicated. In these experiments , the nutritive value, the delay, or the units of reinforcement have been systematically varied and the results are not always conclusive as regards the experimental variable itself. The present study attempts to control for these factors and yet vary systematically properties of the reinforcing agent alone. Pigeons were the experimental subjects and they worked for food while they were at a controlled drive level. Since the caloric value in the food reward was kept constant from trial to trial, a Hullian prediction would be that the groups would show no difference in either conditioning or extinction as all groups would be drive-reduced similarly (Hull, 1943). On the basis of most of the stimulus variation experiments it is possible to predict that the more the cue change in reinforcement, the slower the rate of acquisition and the lower the subjects' performance level. It is possible to predict further that the groups with more extensive reinforcement variation should resist extinction longer much the same as is shown in the stimulus change and also in the partially-delayed reinforcement experiments. In other words, they have been conditioned to changing cues and extinction can be viewed as another cue change. There is of course a third possibility. The more reinforcement variation, the higher the level of performance due to a sort of "grab bag" motivating effect. This third alternative would fit in with the amount or "bits" research and the novel stimulation research. The more stimulus change groups should be similar to getting more units for their efforts in terms of more cue-change. Specific directional predictions were not made although on the basis of previous pilot study work (see Chapter II) a trend could be predicted.
Recommended Citation
Dinoff, Michael, "Preliminary Investigations in the Effect of Continually Changing Reinforcement on Learning and Extinction. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1960.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/2937