Abstract
In order to determine the importance of the development of expectancy of reward prior to partial reward trials; rats were given 20 continuously reinforced trials prior to 20 partially reinforced trials (CRF-PRF) and compared to Ss given only 20 partially reinforced trials (PRF). Control groups received 20 or 40 continuously reinforced trials (CRF-20, CRF-40) to determine the effect of differing numbers of acquisition trials. Results showed that terminal acquisition differences were minimal in the run segment of the alley and that Group CRF-PRF was more resistant to extinction than Group PRF, and both were more resistant to extinction than the CRF-20 and CRF-40 groups, which did not differ from each other. These results were interpreted as supporting the notion that the expectancy of reward on nonreward trials during partial reinforcement acquisition is a determiner of the magnitude of the partial reinforcement extinction effect.
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Supported in part by funds provided by the Faculty Research Committee, University of Oklahoma.
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Mellgren, R.L., Lombardo, J.P., Wrather, D.M. et al. Partial reinforcement effect: The expectancy of reward on nonreward trials. Animal Learning & Behavior 1, 105–108 (1973). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03214573
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03214573