Analysis of the Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect in Humans as a Function of Sequence of Reinforcement Schedules

1988 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 371 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Pittenger ◽  
William B. Pavlik ◽  
Stephen R. Flora ◽  
Julie Kontos
Keyword(s):  
Partial Reinforcement ◽  
Reinforcement Schedules ◽  
Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect

scholarly journals The Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect: The Proportion of Trials Reinforced During Conditioning Predicts the Number of Trials to Extinction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. K. Jonas Chan ◽  
Justin Harris
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Average Duration ◽  
Partial Reinforcement ◽  
Design Experiment ◽  
Reinforcement Schedules ◽  
Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect ◽  
Expected Number ◽  
Trial Probability ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
Per Se

Four experiments compared the extinction of responding to a continuously reinforced (CRf) conditioned stimulus (CS) consistently reinforced on every trial, with extinction of responding to a partially reinforced (PRf) CS that had been inconsistently reinforced. To equate the acquisition of responding between the two CSs, the average duration of the CRf CS was extended so that it scheduled the same overall rate of reinforcement per unit time as the PRf CS. Experiment 1 used a within-subjects design to compare the rates of extinction for a 10-s PRf CS reinforced on 33% of trials versus a 30-s CRf CS. Experiment 2 made the same comparison but using a between-subjects design. Experiment 3 compared extinction in a group trained with a 10-s PRf CS reinforced on 20% of trials and a group trained with a 50-s CRf CS. Experiment 4 compared the rates of extinction following two partial reinforcement schedules, a 10-s PRf CS reinforced on 33% of trial versus a 20-s CRf CS reinforced on 66% of trials. In each experiment, responding took longer to extinguish for the CS that scheduled a lower per-trial probability of reinforcement. Modelling of individual extinction curves using Weibull functions indicated that the latency to initiate extinction was directly related to the per-trial probability of reinforcement learned during acquisition. For example, compared to training with a CRf CS, rats reinforced on 33% of trials took approximately three times as many trials to initiate extinction, and rats reinforced on 20% of trials took five times as many trials to initiate extinction. These results provide support for trial-based accounts of extinction (e.g. Capaldi, 1967), whereby rats learn about the expected number of trials per reinforcer, and extinction depends on the number of expected reinforcers that have been omitted rather than on the number of extinction trials per se.

Extinction, Stimulus Generalization and Partial Reinforcement for Higher-Order Meaning Conditioning

1969 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 288-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam W. Miller ◽  
Wylla D. Barsness
Keyword(s):  
Factorial Design ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Partial Reinforcement ◽  
Stimulus Generalization ◽  
Reinforcement Schedules ◽  
Differential Effects ◽  
Order Conditioning

This study investigated the degree to which higher-order conditioning of word meaning demonstrated acquisition, stimulus generalization, extinction and differential effects of reinforcement schedules. For 120 Ss, using a 2 × 3 factorial design, only extinction was not demonstrated. S awareness was unrelated to acquisition.

The effects of continuous versus partial reinforcement schedules on associative learning, memory and extinction in Lymnaea stagnalis

2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (8) ◽  
pp. 1171-1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Sangha ◽  
Chloe McComb ◽  
Andi Scheibenstock ◽  
Christine Johannes ◽  
Ken Lukowiak
Keyword(s):  
Associative Learning ◽  
Operant Conditioning ◽  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Partial Reinforcement ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Memory Retention ◽  
Reinforcement Schedules ◽  
Conditioning Procedure ◽  
Term Memory

SUMMARY A continuous schedule of reinforcement (CR) in an operant conditioning procedure results in the acquisition of associative learning and the formation of long-term memory. A 50 % partial reinforcement (PR) schedule does not result in learning. The sequence of PR—CR training has different and significant effects on memory retention and resistance to extinction. A CR/PR schedule results in a longer-lasting memory than a PR/CR schedule. Moreover,the memory produced by the CR/PR schedule is resistant to extinction training. In contrast, extinction occurs following the PR/CR schedule.

Effects of Medial and Lateral Septal Lesions on the Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect at Short Inter-Trial Intervals

1979 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 675-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Feldon ◽  
J. A. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Theta Rhythm ◽  
Food Reward ◽  
Straight Alley ◽  
Partial Reinforcement ◽  
Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect ◽  
Resistance To Extinction ◽  
Electrolytic Lesions ◽  
Medial Septal Area ◽  
Septal Lesions ◽  
Hippocampal Theta

Rats sustained electrolytic lesions either in the medial septal (MS) area (of a kind known to eliminate the hippocampal theta rhythm) or in the dorso-lateral septal (LS) area (of a kind known to spare theta) and were compared to sham-operated controls in three experiments in the straight alley with food reward on continuous (CRF) or partial (PRF) reinforcement and inter-trial intervals of 3-8 min. With 6 acquisition trials MS lesions increased resistance to extinction and enhanced the partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE). With 48 acquisition trials MS lesions did not alter resistance to extinction after either CRF or PRF training, but LS lesions abolished the PREE by increasing resistance to extinction in rats trained with CRF and decreasing it in rats trained with PRF. With 96 acquisition trials LS lesions were without effect on resistance to extinction after either CRF or PRF training, as previously reported by Henke (1974) using total septal lesions. Thus the impairment in the PREE previously shown after large septal lesions is due to damage to the lateral, not the medial, septal area.

The partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE) in female Roman high- (RHA-I) and low-avoidance (RLA-I) rats

2008 ◽  
Vol 194 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
M José Gómez ◽  
Lourdes de la Torre ◽  
José Enrique Callejas-Aguilera ◽  
José Manuel Lerma-Cabrera ◽  
Juan M. Rosas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Partial Reinforcement ◽  
Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect

Inoculation against Learned Helplessness

1980 ◽  
Vol 47 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1143-1151
Author(s):  
Norman Stein
Keyword(s):  
Learned Helplessness ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Avoidance Performance ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
Partial Reinforcement ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Reinforcement Schedules ◽  
Joint Contribution ◽  
The Impact

Different patterns of successes and failures which comprised two partial reinforcement schedules were combined with the presence or absence of training in the attribution of effort to assess their relative effectiveness in preventing learned helplessness in non-depressed human subjects. These conditions preceded a series of insoluble discrimination problems. Also, in the absence of prior training, a helpless group received the insoluble problems, a non-helpless group received contingent feedback, and a no-treatment control group received no feedback. All groups were tested for escape/avoidance performance on a shuttle box. Analysis indicated that only the attribution of effort combined with partial reinforcement in which the number of consecutive failures prior to a success was variable produced an inoculation against learned helplessness. Results are discussed in terms of the joint contribution of reinforcement histories and perceptions of personal control over outcomes in mediating the impact of uncontrollable events.

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