The Relative Effectiveness of Observing Response vs. Predifferentiation Pretraining on Children's Discrimination Learning.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Relative Effectiveness of Observing Response vs. Predifferentiation Pretraining on Children's Discrimination Learning.
Authors: Vance, Billie J., Siegel, Alexander W., Pittsburgh Univ., PA. Learning Research and Development Center.
Source: Psychonomic Science. 1971 4(24):183-185.
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 4
Publication Date: 1971
Sponsoring Agency: Office of Education (DHEW), Washington, DC.
Contract Number: OEC-4-10-158(010)
Descriptors: Children, Comparative Analysis, Discrimination Learning, Educational Environment, Evaluation, Grade 1, Learning Activities, Observation, Research, Responses, Stimulus Devices, Training, Visual Stimuli
Abstract: This study was designed to assess the relative effectiveness of four components of pretraining on a subsequent simultaneous discrimination and reversal: (1) making same-different judgments about the two stimuli; (2) making a specific observing response to the critical feature of the stimuli; (3) simple familiarization with the stimuli; and (4) developing a set to compare stimuli. Seventy-two first-grade children served as Ss. Two sets of stimuli were used: line drawings of cats and line drawings of children's faces. Although none of the pretraining conditions had a facilitating effect for Ss seeing the faces, there were significant facilitative effects for Ss seeing cats. Specifically, the three pretraining conditions involving same-different judgments facilitated both learning and reversal, whereas the effect of "observing response alone" pretraining had no such facilitative effect. (Author)
Notes: Reprint
Journal Code: RIEMAY1972
Entry Date: 1972
Accession Number: ED058968
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This study was designed to assess the relative effectiveness of four components of pretraining on a subsequent simultaneous discrimination and reversal: (1) making same-different judgments about the two stimuli; (2) making a specific observing response to the critical feature of the stimuli; (3) simple familiarization with the stimuli; and (4) developing a set to compare stimuli. Seventy-two first-grade children served as Ss. Two sets of stimuli were used: line drawings of cats and line drawings of children's faces. Although none of the pretraining conditions had a facilitating effect for Ss seeing the faces, there were significant facilitative effects for Ss seeing cats. Specifically, the three pretraining conditions involving same-different judgments facilitated both learning and reversal, whereas the effect of "observing response alone" pretraining had no such facilitative effect. (Author)