Effects of Overlearning and Spatial Delay of Reinforcement upon a Discrimination Reversal

Abstract

Rats were trained on a brightness discrimination task under two conditions of spatial delay of reinforcement. Groups received either 0 or 150 postcriterial trials and then were given reversal training. Reversal training was under either the same delay as experienced in original learning or the alternate one. The results indicated that the delay variable, ineffective in original learning, affected reversal acquisition. The postcriterial trials had no affect on trials to reversal criterion. Further analysis indicated that overtraining resulted in a greater number of initial responses to the originally positive stimulus early in reversal training.