Shock-right discrimination training: Effect of correction training with an enforced delay following an incorrect choice.

Shock-right facilitation: Correction training with differential SD availability during an enforced delay following an error.

“…Although Spelt and Fowler's (1969) results indicate that the greater task difficulty and associated shock-right facilitation effect of correction training are dependent upon a delay of reward for incorrect responses, their data do not show a decay function with increasing choicepoint delays; rather, a maximal decrement in errors and elimination of the shock-right facilitation effect occurred with the shortest imposed delay, viz., 15 sec. Two possibilities for this effect are: (a) an "overshooting" of the delay values necessary to demonstrate a continuous function and (b) differential availability of the positive discriminative stimulus for delay and nondelay 5s.…”

“…Comparisons of retrace-correction and noncorrection training on a simple, lightdark discrimination have shown that correction training represents a more difficult task and that selectively associated with this greater difficulty, shock for the correct response (shock-right training) facilitates performance (Fowler, Spelt, & Wischner, 1967;Fowler & Wischner, 1969;Spelt & Fowler, 1969). The greater difficulty of the correction procedure can be related to the delayed pairing of incorrect responses with food reward, i.e., as a consequence of S retracing to the correct, food-reinforced goal.…”

“…Accordingly, in correction training, shock for the correct response can facilitate performance because any fear conditioned to the correct-arm cues as a result of the shock experience may impede S's correcting (e.g., slow its approach to the correct goal) and thereby promote an extended delay of reward following the shocked S's incorrect response relative to the delay experienced by a no-shock 5. To assess this interpretation, Spelt and Fowler (1969) manipulated for both correction and noncorrection training the delay between S's incorrect response and its subsequent correct response. When this was done in correction training by detaining 5 at the choice point (0, 15, 30 or 60 sec.)…”

“…Two possibilities for this effect are: (a) an "overshooting" of the delay values necessary to demonstrate a continuous function and (b) differential availability of the positive discriminative stimulus for delay and nondelay 5s. In the Spelt and Fowler (1969)…”

Overview and examples of instructional modules

“…The VTE simulation of T-maze learning is likewise expanded into the TMAZE simulation (Spelt & Warden, 1975) from the EXPER SIM series of models. TMAZE permits the investigation of (Spelt & Fowler, 1969) phenomenon at the advanced level (see Table 1). Properly guided, students at the intermediate and advanced levels will learn both subject-area content and methodology by exploring these units.…”