Sperry (1961) and others working on split brain learning reported that the two halves function in a nearly identical manner, giving excellent controlled replication of a learning problem. The present experiments were carried out with cats trained in a tactile discrimination apparatus, sometimes being forced to use the left paw, and sometimes being…

The results of a group of studies, the objective of which was to clarify the conditions that account for the effectiveness of verbal approbation, are reported. Among the most significant findings were: (1) that the reinforcement properties of verbal approval are susceptible to distortion, misinterpretation or enhancement and must be applied in a…

Stimulus discrimination is a standard subject in undergraduate courses presenting basic principles of learning, and a particularly interesting aspect of discrimination is the peak shift phenomenon. Peak shift occurs in generalization tests following intradimensional discrimination training as a displacement of peak responding away from the S+ (a…

Three experiments tested the application to art of an hypothesis from the concept attainment literature, that conceptual learning is enhanced by providing multiple examples prior to test trials. Subjects were given discrimination tasks involving surrealistic and non-surrealistic paintings. The feature abstraction model proved inadequate in this…

Performance of 5 students (ages 8 and 10) with moderate intellectual disability was compared as they received the DISTAR Arithmetic instructional intervention and a Discrimination Learning Theory (DLT) intervention not requiring a fast-paced verbal student response. Academic engagement and skill mastery were greater during the DLT intervention.…

One of the most important capacities which children employ when learning language is the capacity to generalize. A child who hears an utterance of a verbal expression while perceiving a particular object (or action, aspect, etc.) becomes normally able to apply the expression not only to this object but also to all those objects which, for him, are…

This paper describes further research on a learning procedure for layered networks of deterministic, neuron-like units, described by Rumelhart et al. The units, the way they are connected, the learning procedure, and the extension to iterative networks are presented. In one experiment, a network learns a set of filters, enabling it to discriminate…

Four-, five-, and six-year-old children were used as subjects in this investigation. There were 192 experimental and 96 control children used, divided equally between the three age groups. The experimental children received a 1-minute pretest exposure procedure in which 1/4 of the children observed 4 two-dimensional stimuli (irregular pentagons),…

PIAGET HAS BEEN CONCERNED WITH THE ASSESSMENT OF THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF CONSERVATION AND RELATED PROCESSES, BUT HE HAS NOT FOCUSED EXPERIMENTALLY ON THE FACTORS WHICH CAN ACCOUNT FOR THE LEARNING OF CONSERVATION. TO INVESTIGATE SUCH FACTORS, RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED (1) TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO PARTICULAR GROUP TRAINING…

Describes the theoretical backgrounds and empirical findings of three experimental studies in which computer-based response-sensitive strategies were investigated using concept learning tasks. The strategy applied focused on discrimination learning, generalization learning, and classification skill development in concept learning. A general…

The research concerned the association of neutral objects, such as nonsense syllables, with rewards, such as money and candy, in children. Thirty-six subjects were obtained from grades two through six of local public elementary schools in Nashville, Tennessee. Associations between neutral objects and rewards were formed in a task concerning…

Eighteen retarded Ss (mean IQ 50 and mean age 14 years) and 18 normal Ss (mean IQ 100 and mean age 7 years) participated in a study to isolate variables that differentially control discrimination learning and retention processes, and to evaluate contrasting theories on discrimination learning and menory processes of retarded and normal children.…

The areas of learning theory and classroom applications of that theory are brought together in this booklet. Although it is impossible to provide the answer to every classroom behavior problem, relating the problems and objectives of a given classroom to learning theory should facilitate the development of effective and efficient programs.…

The process of forming operator schemata was studied in three experiments. In each experiment a greater amount of predictive information in a stimulus item increased the chance of selecting the operator accurately.