This paper attempts to organize, systematize, elaborate, and elucidate a number of basic principles for behavioral change that have experimental foundation. The two major areas discussed concern procedures and principles for strengthening and weakening behavior. Matters of inducing behavior are considered. Principles for strengthening behavior are…

Authors conclude that reinforcers provided by the behavioral approach provide immediate, short-range motivation for the child to acquire needed skills and information, while fostering the intrinsic desire to learn. (Author)

A series of three studies is presented, each building on the other to validate the utility of reinforcement value, an affective dimension of meaningfulness based on ratings of likability. (Authors)

In an associative learning preparation, the participants were given partial reinforcement (PRF) with two different cues. For one of the cues, the nonreinforced presentations consisted of pairings of the cue with a neutral outcome, whereas these presentations consisted of pairings with an aversive outcome for the other cue. The results showed that…

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ANALOGIES ARE DRAWN BETWEEN LEARNING THEORY AND PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION AS AN EXTENSION OF LIBERALIZED STIMULUS RESPONSE THEORY. IN THE FIRST EXPERIMENT ON INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING OF ATTITUDES, THE SUBJECTS READ AN OPINION TO BE LEARNED, FOLLOWED BY A SUPPORTING ARGUMENT ASSUMED TO FUNCTION AS A REINFORCER. THE TIME…

This research on factors influencing verbal learning and retention has used new techniques, attacked new problems, and tested new theories while trying to keep the experiments systematic. Studies conducted involved (1) the effect of varying the length of the intertrial interval on the learning and retention of different types of learning tasks;…

Rodrigo, Chamizo, McLaren, & Mackintosh (1997) demonstrated the blocking effect in a navigational task using a swimming pool: rats initially trained to use three landmarks (ABC) to find an invisible platform learned less about a fourth landmark (X) added later than did rats trained from the outset with these four landmarks (ABCX). The aim of the…