Partial Reinforcement in the Turtle

Abstract

Two matched groups of young turtles, Pseudemys scripta elegans, were trained in a simple runway, one with partial and the other with consistent reinforcement, following which both were extinguished. The two groups did not differ significantly in resistance to extinction. This finding constitutes further evidence against the hypothesis that the paradoxical effect of partial reinforcement which is found in higher animals is a perfectly general one, to be understood in terms of the simplest principles of learning.