Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons^™

Low Intensity Footshock Examined As A Possible Reinforcer For Sensory Deprived Rats, Ron J. Madesh

All Master's Theses

Two experiments were performed, first to test the footshock threshold for rats reared in the Central Washington State College rat colony and second to test for reinforcing effects of low level footshock for sensory deprived subjects. The threshold study consisted of an active avoidance situation with a low intensity footshock as the conditioned stimulus. Using the method of limits, thresholds were established (using 200k. ohms resistance in series) at 19.10 Vac and 22.60 Vac for sensory deprived and control subjects respectively. The second study tested for preference for footshock versus no footshock in an open shuttle box situation. No significant …

The Generalizability Of Learned Helplessness, Ian J. Grabenhorst

All Master's Theses

While it has been experimentally demonstrated that "learned helplessness" can be conditioned in a number of species, the subjects commonly employed have been dogs. This paper presents an attempt to investigate "learned helplessness" in rats (a variant of the Long-Evans strain), and examine the question of its generalizability from shock as an aversive stimulus to noise. It also explores the possible generality of "helplessness" to exploratory behavior in an open field. The results demonstrated that the Ss were susceptible to "helplessness" conditioning across shock conditions; however, "helplessness" did not generalize across shock to noise conditions. The present study also showed …

The Relationship Of Verbal And Symbolic Mediation To Induced Meaning, Dennis G. Groome

All Master's Theses

Four experimental groups were presented nine induced-meaning training trials with 20 CVC stimuli and either abstract or concrete noun, picture alone, or picture plus noun responses. Two control groups received no training trials. Two experimental groups were required to learn associations and the other two simply viewed S-R pairings. Half the groups in each condition generated images and the other half generated word associates to 12 nouns and 20 CVCs. No evidence of induced meaning or of active versus passive learning differences was found. Suggestions for more effective experimental procedures are made.

Reversal Shift Performance By Young Children As A Function Of Stimulus Presentation Mode, Beverly Faye Miller

All Master's Theses

The present study required three groups of Ss (gifted preschoolers, average preschoolers, and first graders) to solve a reversal shift (R). It was hypothesized that greater verbal competency among any of the three groups would lead to superior performance on the R shift. The results indicated that first graders performed significantly better than the average preschool children on the R shift. Also the performance of the first graders was reliably superior to the gifted children on one postshift phase analysis; on the remaining postshift comparisons a visual trend in the same direction was observed. Three separate stimulus presentation modes were …

Locus Of Control And Achievement Incentive In A Risk Taking Situation, Frederick Gordon Carr

All Master's Theses

High and low achievement incentive conditions on the risk taking behavior of subjects identified on the Rotter Internal-External Control Scale as having orientations of internal or external control were examined.

The study involved tossing balls at a target in which subjects chose throwing distances. Successes from greater distances were worth more points. A five dollar incentive was offered to half the subjects.

Males took higher risks than females but no other significant differences were found.

The Effects Of Pattern Of Extraneous Auditory Stimuli And Sex On Vigilance Performance, Paul G. Fisher

All Master's Theses

Eighty introductory-level psychology student volunteers performed a sweep-clock perceptual vigilance task. Each subject was exposed to one of four noise conditions: 65-dB constant noise, 100-dB constant noise, 100-dB regularly-intermittent noise and 100-dB variable intermittent noise. No overall effects of pattern of presentation schedule of noise on performance were found. Time-related changes in three measures, correct detections, reaction times, and incorrect detections plus sex differences in reaction times, were found. In the regularly-intermittent condition females showed a greater time-related decrement in correct detections than males and made fewer incorrect detections. With intermittent background stimulation the time-related change in incorrect detection rates …

The Effects Of Extraneous Stimulation And Activity On Performance In A Recognition-Memory Task, Richard Armstrong

All Master's Theses

Reaction times of 36 subjects in a recognition-memory task were used to evaluate the effects of extraneous stimulation and activity upon memory processes. No significant effect of noise on RT was suggested. A linear increase in reaction time as a function of memory load was found in all noise conditions. When the recognition-memory task was accompanied by a simultaneous shadowing task, a significant difference in the positive and negative reaction times was suggested.