Abstract
Sixty male albino rats were assigned randomly to groups in a design in which one variable was whether rewarded or nonrewarded (latent learning) sessions began the experiment, and the second variable was whether one, two, or four sessions preceded a final rewarded session and extinction session. Extinction speed in a straight runway increased with number of sessions and with initial rewarded rather than nonrewarded sessions. Latent learning sessions facilitated performance on the first rewarded session, the facilitation increasing with number of latent learning sessions.
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This experiment was performed at Northwestern University with the support of National Science Foundation NSF G-8706. Preparation of the manuscript was supported by a faculty research grant from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Appreciation is expressed to the Department of Psychology, Indiana University, for hospitality to the senior author during the writing of this article. We also thank John Nielsen and Norman Spear for running Ss and analyzing data and Rodney McGinnis for comments during its writing.
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Cotton, J.W., Hill, W.F. & Clayton, K.N. The effect of varying numbers of rewarded and nonrewarded trials on subsequent performance in a straight runway. Psychon Sci 9, 489–490 (1967). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03327852
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03327852