Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Differential Outcomes Effect in Normal Human Adults Using a Concurrent-Task Within-Subjects Design And Sensory Outcomes

  • Article
  • Published:
The Psychological Record Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The differential outcomes effect is a phenomenon where use of a choice-unique outcome for each type of correct choice in a conditional discrimination task increases rate of learning and overall accuracy, as compared to the traditional use of a single, common outcome for all types of correct choices. This phenomenon was successfully demonstrated here in college students (p <.05) using differing immediate sensory outcomes rather than the usual rewards that have obvious hedonic values. Further, a unique version of a concurrent-task, within-subjects design, rather than the typical between-subjects design, was employed. Applications of this effect using sensory outcomes in education and training are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • BRODIGAN, D. L., & PETERSON, G. B. (1976). Two-choice conditional discrimination performance of pigeons as a function of reward expectancy, prechoice delay, and domesticity. Animal Learning & Behavior, 4, 121–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DUBE, W. V., ROCCO, F. J., & MCILVANE, W. J. (1989). Delayed matching to sample with outcome-specific contingencies in mentally retarded humans. The Psychological Record, 39, 483–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ESTEVEZ, A. F., FUENTES, L. J., MARI-BEFFA, P., GONZALEZ, C., & ALVAREZ, D. (2001). The differential outcome effect as a useful tool to improve conditional discrimination learning in children. Learning and Motivation, 32, 48–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ESTEVEZ, A. F., FUENTES, L. J., OVERMIER, J. B., & GONZALEZ, C. (2003). Differential outcomes effect in children and adults with Down syndrome. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 108, 108–116.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • FEDORCHAK, P M., & BOLLES, R. C. (1986). Differential outcome effect using a biologically neutral outcome difference. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 12, 125–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • FOSS, D. J., & JENKINS, J. J. (1966). Mediated stimulus equivalence as a function of the number of converging stimulus items. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 71, 738–745.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • FRIEDMAN, G. J., & CARLSON, J. G. (1973). Effects of a stimulus correlated with positive reinforcement upon discrimination learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 97 281-286.

  • GOETERS, S., BLAKELY, E., & POLING, A. (1992). The differential outcomes effect. The Psychological Record, 42, 389–411.

    Google Scholar 

  • HOCHHALTER, A. K., SWEENEY, W. A., BAKKE, B. L., HOLUB, R. J., & OVERMIER, J. B. (2000). Improving face recognition in alcohol dementia. Clinical Gerontologist, 22, 3–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • JENKINS, J. J., & BAILEY, V. B. (1964). Cue selection and mediated transfer in paired-associate learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 67 101-102.

  • JOSEPH, B., OVERMIER, J. B., & THOMPSON, T (1997). Food-and nonfood- related differential outcomes in equivalence learning by adults with Prader-Willi syndrome. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 101, 374–386.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • KELLY, R., & GRANT, D. S. (2001). A differential outcomes effect using biologically neutral outcomes in delayed matching-to-sample with pigeons. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 54B, 69–79.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • KRUSE, J. M., OVERMIER, J. B., KONZ, W. A., & ROKKE, E. (1983). Pavlovian Cs effects upon instrumental choice behavior are reinforcer specific. Learning & Motivation, 14, 165–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LINWICK, D., OVERMIER, J. B., PETERSON, G. B., & MERTENS, M. (1988). The interaction between memories and expectancies as mediators of choice behavior. American Journal of Psychology, 101, 313–334.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • LITT, M. D., & SCHREIBMAN, L. (1981). Stimulus-specific reinforcement in the acquisition of receptive labels by autistic children. Analysis and Intervention in Developmental Disabilities, 1, 171–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MAKI, P., OVERMIER, J. B., DELOS, S., & GUTMANN, A. J. (1995). Expectancies as factors influencing conditional discrimination performance of children. The Psychological Record, 45, 45–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • MALANGA, P, & POLING, A. (1992). Letter recognition by adults with mental retardation: improving performance through differential outcomes. Developmental Disabilities Bulletin, 20, 39–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • MILLER, O. T., WAUGH, K. M., & CHAMBERS, K. (2002). Differential outcomes effect: increased accuracy in adults learning kanji with stimulus specific rewards. The Psychological Record, 52, 315–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MIYASHITA, Y., NAKAJIMA, S., & IMADA, H. (2000). Differential outcome effect in the horse. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 74, 245–253.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • MOK, L. W., ESTEVEZ, A. F., & OVERMIER, J. B. (in press). Unique reward expectations as a training tool in an educational setting. In O.-S. Tan, A. S.-H. Seng, & L. K.-H. Pou (Eds.), Cognitive modification systems: New frontiers in learning and dynamic assessment. Singapore: McGraw Hill.

  • OVERMIER, J. B., BULL, J., A., & TRAPOLD, M. A. (1971). Discriminative cue properties of different fears and their role in response selection in dogs. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 76, 478–482.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • PETERSON, G. B., & TRAPOLD, M. A. (1980). Effects of altering outcome expectancies on pigeon’s delayed conditional discrimination performance. Learning and Motivation, 11, 267–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • STAATS, A. W., STAATS, C. K., FINLEY, J. R., & MINKE, K. A. (1963). Meaning established by classical conditioning controlling associates to the UCS. Journal of General Psychology, 69, 247–252.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • TRAPOLD, M. A. (1970). Are expectancies based upon different positive reinforcing events discriminably different? Learning and Motivation, 1, 129–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • TRAPOLD, M. A., & OVERMIER, J. B. (1972). The second learning process in instrumental learning. In A. H. Black & W. F. Prokasy (Eds.), Classical conditioning II: Current theory and research (pp. 427–452). New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

    Google Scholar 

  • URCUIOLI, P. J. (1990). Some relationships between outcome expectancies and sample stimuli in pigeons’ delayed matching. Animal Learning & Behavior, 18, 302–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • URCUIOLI, P. J. (2005). Behavioral and associative effects of differential outcomes in discrimination learning. Learning & Behavior, 33, 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, N218 Elliott Hall, 75 East River Road, 55455, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Leh Woon Mok & J. Bruce Overmier

Authors
  1. Leh Woon Mok
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Bruce Overmier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leh Woon Mok.

Additional information

This research was supported in part by the Overseas Graduate Scholarship, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, made to Leh Woon Mok and in part by the Center for Cognitive Sciences, University of Minnesota.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mok, L.W., Overmier, J.B. The Differential Outcomes Effect in Normal Human Adults Using a Concurrent-Task Within-Subjects Design And Sensory Outcomes. Psychol Rec 57, 187–200 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395571

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395571

Search

Navigation