Operant Conditioning of the GSR Using Partial Reinforcement

Abstract

This study was designed to determine the influence of partial reinforcement upon the rate of emission of unelicited GSRs. 90 college students were divided into 2 groups with respect to delivery of visual reinforcement, Contingent (C) and Noncontingent (NC). The Contingent group was divided further into 3 subgroups, each of which received a different schedule of partial reinforcement; each contingent group had a yoked Noncontingent control. The over-all rate of responding was greater during Contingent reinforcement than Noncontingent reinforcement. Among the Contingent groups the effect of partial reinforcement was maximal during the initial minute of acquisition and the initial minutes of extinction. During the extinction period the Contingent and the Noncontingent groups tended to converge. A no-stimulation control group showed fairly steady responding during the last 32 min.