Abstract
The present study was designed to determine the effects of stimulus generalization from conditioned hostile verbalization. Ss were divided into two groups of 10 males and 10 females each. One group was given partial reinforcement for using “intensely hostile” verbs, the other for “neutral” verbs. The results indicated significant differences in conditioning between the two groups, with a more accelerated acquisition rate for the group conditioned to “intensely hostile” verbs. Generalization of conditioned responses, as measured by the number of Ss who showed an increase in hostility in their post-conditioning stories, was significant only for male Ss in the group conditioned to “intensely hostile” verbs.
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