‘Switching’ and ‘Staying’: Alternative Strategies in Simple Concept-Identification Situations

Abstract

Two-dimensional, binary-valued stimuli were presented to 64 Ss in a simple concept-identification task to determine the effect of negative reinforcement on Ss' hypothesis-testing. Whereas the patterns of responding of Ss as a group indicated linguistic syntax appeared profoundly to affect performance, closer inspection indicated that subgroups of Ss were responding to other characteristics in the stimulus display and the language patterns observed ignored individual strategies and thus were an artifact of grouping the data.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Goss

A. E.

Verbal mediating responses and concept formation. Psychological Review, 1961, 68, 248–274.

Harpur

J. G. E.

Linguistic categorization and hypothesis testing in a simple concept-identification task. Psychological Reports, 1974, 35, 803–809.

Hull

C. L.

Knowledge and purpose as habit mechanisms. Psychological Review, 1930, 57, 511–525.

Osgood

C. E.

Method and theory in experimental psychology. New York: Oxford Univer. Press, 1953.

Penrod

W. C.

Nahinsky

I. D.

Language patterns in conjunctive concept identification. Psychonomic Science, 1969, 15, 322.

Sutherland

N. S.

Stimulus analyzing mechanisms. In Proceedings of the Symposium on the Mechanization of Thought Processes. Vol. II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1959. Pp. 575–609.