Shifts in magnitude of reward and contrast effects in instrumental and selective learning: A reinterpretation.

Black, Roger W.

doi:10.1037/h0025563

Cited by 188 publications

(152 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…For example, the reliable observation that the S-performance of discrimination Ss is depressed relative to that of a condition which always receives the S-reward (cf. Black, 1968;McHose, 1970) does not appear to follow from any combination of stimulus-specificity assumptions as applied to the present data.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 67%

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Performance in differential instrumental conditioning as a function of the pattern of partial S+ reward

McHose

Blackwell

1975

Animal Learning & Behavior

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Thus, S--performance decreases as S+ reward increases (cf. Black, 1968;McHose, 1970) and extinction responding decreases as acquisition reward magnitude increases (e.g., Ison & Cook, 1964). Similarly, partial reward in acquisition elevates extinction responding and partial S+ reward elevates S-responding (McHose & Peters, 1973).…”

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confidence: 99%

Performance in differential instrumental conditioning as a function of the pattern of partial S+ reward

McHose

Blackwell

1975

Animal Learning & Behavior

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“…Currently a substantial portion of the attention is focused on contrast effects (e.g., Black, 1968;Spear & Spitzner, 1966).…”

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confidence: 99%

Different levels of performance with equivalent weights of reward

McCain

1969

Psychon Sci

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“…It should be noted here that besides Capaldi other associationists (viz. Amsel, 1958;Black, 1968;McHose, 1970) also provided contextual interpretations of contrast.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Positive and negative contrast effects obtained following shifts in liquid sucrose reward in thirsty rats

Shanab

Young

1976

Animal Learning & Behavior

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In a repeated shifts experiment four independent groups of thirsty rats received the following treatments: LSLS, LLLS, SSLS, and SSSS, with each letter denoting the magnitude (large or small) of sucrose reward received in each of the four phases of the experiment. While no negative contrast effect (NCE) was obtained in Phase 2, a very reliable positive contrast effect (PCE) was found in Phase 3. Moreover, a significant NCE was obtained in Phase 4. The results were explained in terms of the relative rather than absolute effects of reinforcement. Crespi (1942) was probably the first investigator to popularize the phenomenon of incentive contrast. He reported obtaining both a positive PCE) and a negative (NCE) contrast effect. Subjects shifted from small to larger rewards were observed to run at a faster rate than would be expected from a control group kept on large reward all the time (elation effect or PCE). Conversely, when subjects were shifted from large to a smaller reward, they undershot the level of the subjects receiving small reward all the time (depression effect or NeE). Attempts to replicate Crespi's findings of PCE have failed repeatedly. When appropriate controls for the ceiling effects were introduced, PCE was consistently obtained (Shanab, Birnbaum, & Cavallaro,' 1974). Recently, however, some studies have obtained PCE without such controls (cf. Weinstock, 1971).Crespi's findings of NCE in the runway based on shifts in food reward have been successfully replicated in many laboratories (Dunham, 1968). However, when either magnitude or concentration of liquid sucrose (Goodrich, 1962;Homzie & Ross, 1962;Ison & Rosen, 1968;Rosen, 1966;Rosen & Ison, 1965), or both magnitude and concentration of liquid sucrose were simultaneously downshifted (Barnes & Tombaugh, 1973;Flaherty, Riley, & Spear, 1973;Ison & Rosen, 1968), no NCE was obtained. The dependent variable in the previous studies was response speed. It should be noted that a NCE was reported with liquid sucrose when the dependent variable was either the frequency of the licking response (Vogel, Mikulka, & Spear, 1968), or the barpress response (CoIlier & Marx, 1959; Weinstein, 1970a, b).A closer examination of Crespi's design for positive contrast reveals that he used a double-shift in that his peE subjects originally recieved large reward followed by a shift first to small reward and then back to large reward. Crespi (1942) reasoned that in order to obtain a Reprint requests should be sent to Mitri E. Shanab,

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Shifts in magnitude of reward and contrast effects in instrumental and selective learning: A reinterpretation.

Cited by 188 publications

References 32 publications

Performance in differential instrumental conditioning as a function of the pattern of partial S+ reward

Performance in differential instrumental conditioning as a function of the pattern of partial S+ reward

Different levels of performance with equivalent weights of reward

Positive and negative contrast effects obtained following shifts in liquid sucrose reward in thirsty rats

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