Verbal Reinforcement Combinations, Task Complexity, and Overtraining on Discrimination Reversal Learning in Children

Summary

In a simultaneous brightness discrimination reversal task, 96 third- and fourth-grade children were either verbally reinforced for correct responses (Rn), verbally punished for incorrect responses (Wn), or verbally reinforced for correct and punished for incorrect responses (RW) at either of two levels of task complexity (1 vs. 3 irrelevant dimensions) subsequent to either criterion or overtraining on the original problem. Regardless of task complexity, performance on the original problem was nearly equivalent for the RW and Wn combinations, and both were superior to the Rn combination. At all levels of task complexity and training, the RW and Wn S s reversed at similar rates, and both groups reversed faster than the Rn Ss.