In this study, subjects had four learning trials to master a list of paired associates. The experimental instruc tions were phrased so that subjects would either attribute their learning rate to internal or external factors. After each trial on which they made errors, subjects were "punished" by a confed erate. Half the subjects were told the confederate personally decided to administer punishment, the other half were told he was instructed to do so. Subjects in the internal attribution and responsible punisher conditions learned the paired assoc iates more quickly than did subjects in the external attribu tion and nonresponsible punisher conditions.
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