Psychology ETDs

Publication Date

8-26-1977

Abstract

Reciprocal and higher order reciprocal transfer or generalization effects are said to occur when performance in the presence of an interpolated stimulus influences performance to the reinstated original stimulus conditions. The present studies examined reciprocal and higher order reciprocal effects in the CER, free operant, and instrumental runway situations. In addition, first order reciprocal effects were examined when interpolated training was correlated with a less potent reinforcer.

Results showed that in the CER paradigm, first order reciprocal effects enhanced the disruption of the appetitive baseline behavior. In contrast, there were no first order reciprocal effects in either the operant or instrumental experimental paradigms. Second order reciprocal effects in the CER situation attenuated response disruption. Again, no reciprocal effects were observed in the free operant setting. Third order reciprocal effects were not found in any situation. Changing the conditions of reinforcement produced reciprocal effects in both the instrumental and operant situations. Generally, it was found that when a less desirable condition of reinforcement was correlated with S2 , performance to a reinstated S1 was attenuated. These results suggest either: (1) that reciprocal transfer effects differ as a function of the paradigm utilized; or, (2) the parameters used in the present studies resulted in experimental paradigm-parameter interactions.

Degree Name

Psychology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Psychology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Frank Anderson Logan

Second Committee Member

G Robert Grice

Third Committee Member

Douglas Peter Ferraro

Fourth Committee Member

Henry Carleton Ellis

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

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