The Effect of Training on Response Force during Operant Extinction

Abstract

Although the phenomenon of increased response vigor following nonreward is well known, the relationship of this so-called “frustration effect” to previous experience in similar nonreward situations has not been investigated. The purpose of the research was to assess the functional relationship between reinforcement history and the distribution of response forces during the extinction of an operant response. Human Ss were employed in a 2×2×2 factorial experiment in which the major variables were the force of the reinforced response during training, the sequence of training, and the sex of the S. The results indicated that responses learned in training transferred to the extinction condition, thus contradicting predictions from a drive-produced frustration theory. The relevance of these findings to theories of frustration is discussed.