Psychology ETDs

Publication Date

9-22-1970

Abstract

When young children are presented with a learning task composed of two dimensional stimuli that vary along both. a form and a color continuum, they solve the problem in a consistent and unidimensional manner. This response bias, or dimensional dominance, has in the literature been called a form or color preference. The results of developmental studies have indicated that children at the. youngest ages display a form preference which gradually shifts to a color preference by the age of 4-1/2 years and then this preference shifts back. to form. This lawful relationship has then explained by developmental theorists as being due to maturational processes. In addition, experimental studies have indicated that these preferences affect overt performance in a variety of situations. However, few: investigations have been conducted concerning the effects of different experimental manipulations on these preferences-themselves.

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of two variables, differential reinforcement and verbalization on color and form responding in 4 to 7 year old children. The initial dominance of 96 Ss was assessed in a matching task using either planar objects or solids.

Following this assessment, equal numbers of males, females, older, and younger Ss were assigned to one of three groups for discrimination training. One group, the Reinforcement Group (Group R), received differential reinforcement on their dominant and nondominant dimensions. Correct responses to the discrimination involving their preferred dimension were reinforced on an FR 5, while their nonpreferred dimension was reinforced on a more dense schedule, FR 2. Another group, the Verbalization Group (Group V) received the same reinforcement conditions and in addition were required to verbalize on each training trial, where appropriate, the class dimensional name prior to performance of the overt motor response. The Control Group (Group C) received equivalent discrimination training but no differential reinforcement or verbalization training. Following the discrimination training, each Ss post-training dominance was again assessed by use of a matching task.

It was hypothesized that Group R would change responding in the direction of the more dense schedule and would thereby switch dominance due to the differential reinforcement. It was further hypothesized that Group V, due to the added verbal response produced cue, would switch dominance even more than Group R.

Overall, the hypotheses were strongly supported. The results indicated that form and color dominance is modifiable by certain experimental variables and that both differential reinforcement and verbalization training are potent and effective variables in producing this response change and subsequent transfer. Clear evidence was provided, in this study, to indicate that a change in dimensional dominance is not solely due to innate maturational processes and that dimensional dominance is a modifiable behavior.

Degree Name

Psychology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Psychology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Louis Elliot Price

Second Committee Member

G. Robert Grice

Third Committee Member

Frank Anderson Logan

Fourth Committee Member

Douglas Peter Ferraro

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

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