Affiliation:
1. University of Massachusetts
Abstract
72 college Ss were given 50 training and 20 test trials on a conditional matching task in which the color of the comparison stimuli served as the conditional cue. Comparison stimuli were presented either in runs of 1, runs of 5, or at random. All Ss received continuous reinforcement for correct responses and half received a 30-sec. TO after every incorrect response. Results showed that performance early in training was significantly higher under stimulus-compounding but that random presentation produced significantly better performance on test trials. While not significant, punishment (TO) facilitated performance under random presentation more than when stimulus-compounding was employed.