An Investigation of Learning under Two Types of Social Reinforcers in Young and Elderly Adults

Abstract

The verbal learning performance of young and elderly subjects was compared under a factorial design employing praise and reproof and verbal feedback as social reinforcers. Regardless of age group, all subjects made fewer errors under a feedback condition where a correct response was reinforced with a “right” and an incorrect response was not responded to by the experimenter. Elderly subjects performed equally well under praise, reproof, and a neutral control condition. Younger subjects, however, showed superior performance under the control treatment and poorer learning under both praise and reproof.