Abstract
A recent expansion of hypothesis theory has resulted in a new interpretation of the partial-reinforcement extinction effect (PREE). According to this interpretation, the classical 100%-reinforcement and 50%-reinforcement groups receive different solution-experiences on Problem 1. This, in turn, produces different expectations about the solution on Problem 2. Three experiments, using a nonreversal shift paradigm, were performed to test this view. The results were that, as hypothesized, a nonreversal shift was learned faster than a shift from a random-reinforcement condition.
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This research was supported by Grant MH 11857 from the National Institute of Mental Health awarded to Marvin Levine. The authors would like to express their appreciation to Irwin Jankovic for his assistance with Experiment III.
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Taddonio, J., Levine, M. Hypothesis theory and the PREE. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 5, 74–76 (1975). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336710
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336710