Reversal following Errorless Discrimination Learning

Abstract

Pigeons were trained on a successive red-green discrimination by either a Late-Constant or Early-Progressive procedure. Following training on the original discrimination, the stimuli were reversed after which there was a return to the original discrimination. All three of the Late-Constant pigeons learned the discrimination with errors and two of the three Early-Progressive pigeons learned the discrimination errorlessly. Responding to the reversed negative stimulus occurred at essentially the same rate for Late-Constant and Early-Progressive subjects, with the exception of one Early-Progressive subject that took substantially more exposure. These results indicate that negative stimulus after errorless learning retards development of responding more than the negative stimulus following errorful learning.