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Behavior variability and reactive inhibition in human stylus maze behavior

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Summary

In previous experiments with small animals, paramecia and mealworms followed the predictions of IR in their maze behavior while flatworms did not. In the present experiment, 300 undergraduate psychology students in general did behave largely as would be predicted by IR in a multisectional stylus maze. When the distance between a forced turn and a choice point was short (2 cm.), students turned in the direction opposite to that of the forced turn more often than chance would predict. In the longer distances, they did not turn in the predicted direction significantly more often than in the non-predicted direction with the single exception of the longest (18 cm.) distance in the one forced turn condition.

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This study was done while both authors were at the University of Wichita.

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Rice, G.E., Lawless, R.H. Behavior variability and reactive inhibition in human stylus maze behavior. Psychol Rec 11, 333–338 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03393419

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03393419

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