OPERANT CONDITIONING OF SERIALLY-ORDERED VERBAL RESPONSES
Abstract
This study investigated the possibility that the existence of serially-ordered word associations is a variable underlying the formation of a word class; that is, words which are related in a serial order should be strengthened in a situation if the individual responses making up the chain are reinforced. The effect of reinforcement for emitting serially-ordered responses was studied under four treatment conditions, a serial, an alternating, a random, and a control (nonchained) order of presentation. Results indicated that the conditioning was greatest for the serial order of presentation, and declined in a significantly linear fashion as the order of presentation moved systematically from a serial to a random order. No effect was obtained where Ss had not learned the nonsense words as serially-related responses. The number of individual Ss who exceeded chance results, and the percentage of aware Ss within each group, also decreased as the conditions became more unlike the serial order of presentation. Thus word responses that are serially-associated would be expected to operantly condition as a response class. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1961
- Accession Number
- AD0267568
Entities
People
- Arthur W. Staats
- Carolyn K. Staats
- Judson R. Finley
Organizations
- Arizona State University