PATTERNS OF REINFORCEMENT AND RESISTANCE TO EXTINCTION IN YOUNG CHILDREN1

Abstract

Intermittant reinforcement, varying patterns of reinforcement during training, has been the concern of many experimental studies with animals since the results are said to have bearing on significant theoretical issues in behavior theory (14). Aside from theoretical considerations, cumulated data indicate that within limits, types of training schedule is one of the conditions covarying with resistance to extinction, i.e., the number of responses emitted during a period of nonreinforcement. More specifically, results have established, for the most part, that intermittent reinforcement (whether fixed or irregular in pattern) markedly increases resistance to extinction as compared to continuous reinforcement (2, Io, Ii). Our interest, at this stage of laboratory research on child behavior, is to study this relationship in young children. In discussing this and related studies, it may be helpful to offer at the outset some clarification of the terms most frequently employed in investigations of this sort. Our definitions are similar to Skinner's (07, i8). i. By continuous reinforcement we mean that in the experimentally defined situation a response has been reinforced on each occasion of its occurrence. 2. By intermittent reinforcement we mean that a reinforced occurrence of a response has been preceded or succeeded on at least one occasion by an unreinforced occurrence of the response. No differentiation is made among the terms descriptive of this procedure; namely, intermittent reinforcement, partial reinforcement and periodic reconditioning. 3. By interval intermittent reinforcement we mean that the pattern of a reinforcement is controlled by temporal events in the external environment; and by ratio intermittent reinforcement, we mean that it is dependent on the subject's behavior. 4. By fixed and variable patterns of intermittent reinforcement we refer to the relationship between the reinforced and nonreinforced responses. Interval and ratio may, of course, be either fixed or variable in pattern.

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