The effects of punishment for errors on the maze learning of rats.

Motivation in learning. II. The function of electric shock for right and wrong responses in human subjects.

“…We found (2) that electric shock for the right response was as effective as shock for the wrong response and that either was decidedly more effective (not less) than learning without shock. The results with shock for the wrong response are, of course, familiar to all who have worked with animals (1,5,6); we merely supplied evidence to show that shock for the right response has practically the same effect as shock for the wrong response in the visual discrimination habit. In order to gain more insight into this discrepancy between human and animal experiments we decided to repeat and extend the California experiment.…”

An experimental study of the influence of punishment for errors during learning upon retention.

“…By studying the effect of different types of instruction upon quickness of stopping an arm movement in response to a red light, Vaughn (1928) concluded that electric shock as punishment for slowness in stopping is the most effective form of instruction. Valentine (1930) made an investigation concerning the effects of introduction of punishment into different stages of maze-learning, showing that punishment for errors results in a larger decrease in errors compared to learning without punishment. After a retention period of ninety days, the punishment for errors during learning had a beneficial influence upon recall but a zero influence upon relearning.…”

Studies in the psychology of memorizing piano music. IV. The effect of incentive.

“…Transcription Scores.-For the accurate transcription of the material after relearning, no method shows any real advantage. The large standard deviations indicate much greater differences among the sub-• Valentine, 13 studying maze learning in rats, reports that if retention is tested by the whole period of relearning without further punishment, there is no reliable difference between the retention of what has been learned with and without punishment.…”