Three groups of rats ran 108 trials in a straight runway, one trial every 3 days. On the first 44 trials, one group received continuous (and immediate) reinforcement (CRF), a second group 50 per cent partial reinforcement (PRF), and the third group a 50 per cent schedule of partial delay of reinforcement (PDR). All groups received CRF on the next 20 trials, and extinction on the last 44 trials. The PRF and PDR groups extinguished at approximately the same rate, and significantly more slowly than the CRF group.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AmselA. (1958). The role of frustrative non-reward in non-continuous reward situations. Psychol. Bull.55, 102–9.
2.
AmselA.RashotteM. E.MacKinnonJ. R. (1966). Partial reinforcement effects within-subject and between-subjects. Psychol. Monogr.80, (20, Whole No. 628).
3.
BurtD. H.WikeE. L. (1963). Effects of alternating partial reinforcement and alternating delay of reinforcement on a runway response. Psychol. Rep.13, 439–42.
4.
CapaldiE. J. (1967). A sequential hypothesis of instrumental learning. The Psychology of Learning and Motivation. Vol. I (Advances in Research and Theory)SpenceK. W.SpenceJ. T.New York: Academic Press.
5.
CapaldiE. J.OlivierW. P. (1966). Sequence of delayed reward and non-rewarded trials. J. exp. Psychol.72, 307–10.
6.
CoganD.CapaldiE. J. (1961). Relative effects of delayed reinforcement and partial reinforcement on acquisition and extinction. Psychol. Rep.9, 7–13.
7.
CrumJ.BrownW. L.BittermanM. E. (1951). The effect of partial and delayed reinforcement on resistance to extinction. Am. J. Psychol.64, 228–37.
8.
DoninJ. A.SurridgeC. T.AmselA. (1967). Extinction following partial delay of reward with immediate continuous reward interpolated, at 24-hr. intertrial intervals. J. exp. Psychol.74, 50–3.
9.
GoodrichK. P. (1959). Performance in different segments of an instrumental response chain as a function of reinforcement schedule. J. exp. Psychol.57, 57–63.
10.
RashotteM. E.AmselA. (1968). The generalized PRE: within-S PRF and CRF training in different runways, at different times of day, by different experimenters. Psychon. Sci.11, 315–6.
11.
SurridgeC. T.BoehnertJ. B.AmselA. (1966). Effect of interpolated extinction on the reacquisition of partially and continuously rewarded responses. J. exp. Psychol.72, 564–70.
12.
SurridgeC. T.MockK. R.AmselA. (1968). Effect of interpolated extinction after partial delay of reward training on subsequent reacquisition and extinction. Q. Jl exp. Psychol.20, 321–28.
13.
TheiosJ. (1962). The partial reinforcement effect sustained through blocks of continuous reinforcement. J. exp. Psychol.64, 1–6.
