Abstract
Haaf (1971) proposed a scaling procedure for partitioning rewards from punishments for studies of human learning. The present paper argues that: (a) this scaling procedure has not been adequately validated; (b) it can never be successfully validated because it ignores the relative nature of reinforcement; and (c) when it is extended to account for the relativity of reinforcement, it becomes unnecessarily complex.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bock, R. D., & Jones, L. V. The measurement and prediction of judgment and choice. San Francisco: H olden-Day, 1968. P. 273.
Gormezano, I. Classical conditioning. In J. B. Sidowski (Ed.), Experimental methods and instrumentation in psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966. P. 385.
Haaf, R. A. The rational zero point on incentive-object preference scales: A developmental study. Developmental Psychology, 1971, 5, 537.
Jones, L. V. Invariance of zero-point scaling over changes in stimulus context. Psychological Bulletin, 1967, 67, 153–164.
Premack, D. Catching up with common sense or two sides of a generalization: Reinforcement and punishment. In R. Glaser (Ed.), The nature of reinforcement. New York: Academic Press, 1971. Pp. 121–150.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Croll, W.L. The rational zero point and reinforcement. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 1, 431–432 (1973). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334397
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334397