Showing papers in "Psychonomic science in 1966"
TL;DR: An audiovisual stimulus was made contingent upon the rat’s licking at the water spout, thus making it analogous with a gustatory stimulus, which apparently stimuli are selected as cues dependent upon the nature of the subsequent reinforcer.
Abstract: An audiovisual stimulus was made contingent upon the rat’s licking at the water spout, thus making it analogous with a gustatory stimulus. When the audiovisual stimulus and the gustatory stimulus were paired with electric shock the avoidance reactions transferred to the audiovisual stimulus, but not the gustatory stimulus. Conversely, when both stimuli were paired with toxin or x-ray the avoidance reactions transferred to the gustatory stimulus, but not the audiovisual stimulus. Apparently stimuli are selected as cues dependent upon the nature of the subsequent reinforcer.
1,763 citations
TL;DR: Gustatory aversions, induced in rats by conditionally pairing a distinctive flavor with a noxious drug, were readily established even when injections were delayed an hour or more, suggesting a function of the specific effects of the reinforcer on the organism.
Abstract: Gustatory aversions, induced in rats by conditionally pairing a distinctive flavor with a noxious drug, were readily established even when injections were delayed an hour or more. The optimal interstimulus interval and effectiveness of cues for learning appear to be a function of the specific effects of the reinforcer on the organism.
719 citations
TL;DR: Five Ss recalled telephone numbers from long-term and short-term memory while pupil diameter was measured, and major pupillary changes were found in both tasks.
Abstract: Five Ss recalled telephone numbers from long-term and short-term memory while pupil diameter was measured. Major pupillary changes were found in both tasks. Pupil diameter seems to vary with momentary load on S.
193 citations
TL;DR: This article found that participants were approached more closely by their friends than by their parents whose approach was similar to that of strangers, and that groups differing in these characteristics were found to differ reliably in initial speaking distance.
Abstract: Distances between individuals were recorded at the moment conversation began. The distances were then related to the relationship between the individuals and to their sex, age and race. Groups differing in these characteristics were found to differ reliably in initial speaking distance. Student experimenters were approached more closely by their friends than by their parents whose approach was similar to that of strangers. Speaking distance was suggested as part of an operational definition of interpersonal relations.
178 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the attractiveness of a superior person is enhanced if he commits a clumsy blunder; the same blunder tends to decrease the the attractiveness a mediocre person, and they predicted these results by conjecturing that the superior person may be viewed as superhuman and, therefore, distant; a blunder tended to humanize him and, consequently, increases his attractiveness.
Abstract: An experiment was performed which demonstrated that the attractiveness of a superior person is enhanced if he commits a clumsy blunder; the same blunder tends to decrease the the attractiveness of a mediocre person. We predicted these results by conjecturing that a superior person may be viewed as superhuman and, therefore, distant; a blunder tends to. humanize him and, consequently, increases his attractiveness.
172 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, three groups of dogs were trained with different kinds of Pavlovian fear conditioning for three different types of dogs: randomly and independently; for a second group, CSs predicted the occurrence of USs; and for a third group, S predicted the absence of the USs.
Abstract: Three groups of dogs were Sidman avoidance trained They then received different kinds of Pavlovian fear conditioning For one group CSs and USs occurred randomly and independently; for a second group, CSs predicted the occurrence of USs; for a third group, CSs predicted the absence of the USs The CSs were subsequently presented while S performed the avoidance response CSs which had predicted the occurrence or the absence of USs produced, respectively, increases and decreases in avoidance rate For the group with random CSs and USs in conditioning, the CS had no effect upon avoidance
160 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, six Ss worked a full day, mainly on vigilance and calculation tests, for two successive days in each of six successive weeks, each of which they were allowed 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7 ½ hours sleep varying according to the week of testing.
Abstract: Six Ss worked a full day, mainly on vigilance and calculation tests, for two successive days in each of six successive weeks. On the preceding, nights they were allowed 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7½ hr. sleep varying according to the week of testing. Less than 5 hr. sleep on a single night impaired vigilance; less than 3 hr. impaired calculation.
153 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a model which describes the effect fast guesses must have on observable choice latencies and probabilities is developed, strengthened, and tested with encouraging results, and it is possible to estimate "true" decision times and probabilities without requiring error-free performance in discriminative reaction time.
Abstract: A model which describes the effect fast guesses must have on observable choice latencies and probabilities is developed, strengthened, and tested with encouraging results. With the model, it is possible to estimate “true” decision times and probabilities without requiring error-free performance in discriminative reaction time.
148 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a 2-by-2 design was used to find a positive relationship between attitude similarity and interpersonal attraction, and the results indicated that "liking" had a significant effect upon the Ss feelings for the other person.
Abstract: In a 2 by 2 design, Ss were led to believe that a person with whom they had interacted either liked them or disliked them and that his attitudes on several issues were either similar or dissimilar to the S’s own attitudes. The results indicated that “liking” had a significant effect upon the S’s feelings for the other person — regardless of attitude similarity or dissimilarity. The results were discussed in terms of a possible alternative explanation for the bulk of the data showing a positive relationship between attitude similarity and interpersonal attraction.
143 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors showed that the increase in effort necessary to correctly identify words over degraded communications channels has been shown to be reflected in lowered efficiency on simultaneously-performed nonverbal secondary tasks.
Abstract: The increase in effort necessary to correctly identify words over degraded communications channels has been shown to be reflected in lowered efficiency on simultaneously-performed non-verbal secondary tasks. Two experiments show that a similar loss of efficiency may be observed for operations performed on the material shadowed. Recognition memory is poorer for words correctly shadowed over a degraded channel.
106 citations
TL;DR: Pigeons could obtain reinforcements either by pecking at a key immediately after it was trans-illuminated by red light or by delaying their pecks until the light turned green, and their tendency to do so increased in proportion to the advantages of delaying.
Abstract: Pigeons could obtain reinforcements either by pecking at a key immediately after it was trans-illuminated by red light or by delaying their pecks until the light turned green. Each reinforcement for pecking at the red key was followed by a period of extinction, but no penalty followed reinforcement for pecking at the green key. Although pigeons did not delay often, their tendency to do so increased in proportion to the advantages of delaying.
TL;DR: The hypothesis that a duplex mechanism for taction is supported and there is compelling evidence that the Pacinian corpuscle is the neural transducer of vibratory stimuli.
Abstract: Threshold responses to vibratory stimuli are compared for psychophysical and electrophysiological experiments. There is a striking similarity between the two sets of data. The hypothesis that a duplex mechanism for taction is supported and there is compelling evidence that the Pacinian corpuscle is the neural transducer of vibratory stimuli.
TL;DR: In this article, a method was described for eliminating the position habit which often arises in experiments designed to determine preference-aversion thresholds for water and a test fluid such as ethanol.
Abstract: A method is described for eliminating the position habit which often arises in experiments designed to determine preference-aversion thresholds for water and a test fluid such as ethanol. A three bottle (i.e., three position) paradigm is employed, but only water and a test fluid are offered to the animal. The third bottle is empty but is rotated every day in a predetermined sequence along with the other two bottles. In preference determinations for different concentrations of ethanol, stable fluid intake functions are obtained.
TL;DR: It is concluded that the basic somatic movements involved in the attack of prey are present at birth and that this behavior can only be elicited by certain chemical stimuli in naive Ss.
Abstract: Newborn garter snakes without prior feeding experience were found to selectively respond with attack behavior to water extracts of organisms normally eaten in captivity and not to respond to extracts of other organisms and controls. Differences were noted in the frequency and latency of responding to the effective stimuli. This response to chemical stimulation did not easily habituate. Visual stimuli may cause the S to orient toward and “explore” a potential food object, particularly if moving; but it is concluded that the basic somatic movements involved in the attack of prey are present at birth and that this behavior can only be elicited by certain chemical stimuli in naive Ss.
TL;DR: This paper found that personal evaluation and attitude similarity each affect attraction in a face-to-face interaction, with weighting coefficients derived in a non-interactive situation, and that attraction in the face to face situation was again found to be a linear function of weighted positive reinforcements.
Abstract: It had been found in previous research that both attitude similarity and personal evaluations affect attraction. Aronson and Worchel repeated one of these experiments utilizing a face-to-face situation and found Ss responsive only to personal evaluations, not to attitude similarity. Their failure was attributable to their use of a restricted range of attitude similarity-dissimilarity. Replicating their study with greater attitudinal differentiation, the present investigation indicated that even with face-to-face interaction, personal evaluation and attitude similarity each affect attraction. With weighting coefficients derived in a noninteractive situation, attraction in the face-to-face situation was again found to be a linear function of weighted positive reinforcements.
TL;DR: Rats were tested for spontaneous alternation following injections of saline, scopolamine, and atropine, usina, doses of 0.4 and 1.2 mg/kg and it was found that scopolamines resulted in a reduction of alternation to a rate very near chance.
Abstract: Rats were tested for spontaneous alternation following injections of saline, scopolamine, and atropine, usina, doses of 0.4 and 1.2 mg/kg. It was found that scopolamine, at the higher dose, resulted in a reduction of alternation to a rate very near chance. A possible relation between the effects of scopolamine injection and removal of the hippocampus was discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the identification of a whole from only a part of a visual stimulus was shown to be an age related function in children from age 4½ to 10½. Stimuli were facial photographs of Ss’ classmates, masked to show only limited portions of the face.
Abstract: Identification of a whole from only a part of a visual stimulus was shown to be an age related function in children from age 4½ to 10½. Stimuli were facial photographs of Ss’ classmates, masked to show only limited portions of the face. Several other consistencies of response were also found.
TL;DR: The authors used nouns as stimuli and pictures as responses in a factorial design of paired-associate lists and found that nouns were better than pictures as stimuli, with the effect being greater when nouns served as responses.
Abstract: Pictures and concrete nouns served as stimulus and response members of paired-associate (PA) lists, in a factorial design. PA learning was better with pictures than with nouns as stimuli, the effect being greater when nouns served as responses. No main effect was obtained on the response side, but an interaction indicated differential effects of response mode, depending on whether the stimuli were pictures or nouns. The results generally parallel those previously obtained with nouns varying in concreteness or imagery and further support the “conceptual peg” hypothesis.
TL;DR: This article showed that the tendency for response frequency to increase and the tendency to attack covary following extinction-onet was associated with a transitory increase in the vigor and rate of the previously reinforced operant.
Abstract: Discontinuing positive reinforcement has been shown to elicit fighting in hooded rats, and to be associated with a transitory increase in the vigor and rate of the previously reinforced operant. The present study shows that the tendency for response frequency to increase and the tendency to attack covary following extinction-onset. It is also shown that, as the augmented response rate decreases, the tendency to attack diminishes and that the former change precedes the latter change.
TL;DR: This paper found that attraction toward a stranger is a positive linear function of the proportion of his responses to an attitude scale which are similar to those of the S. This finding adds to the generality of the attitude-attraction relationship and also provides a methodological improvement.
Abstract: Attraction toward a stranger is a positive linear function of the proportion of his responses to an attitude scale which are similar to those of the S. Though various experimenters have utilized different stimulus modes for presenting the stranger, the effects of such stimulus differences have not been systematically compared nor has the linear function been demonstrated to be generalized across conditions. Ss were assigned to one of three experimental conditions in which a stranger was either depicted in a sound 8mm color movie, recorded on tape, or represented by responses on a mimeographed attitude scale. After learning 12 of the stranger’s opinions, Ss were asked to evaluate him. In all three stimulus modes, attraction was found to be a function of proportion of similar attitudes, with no significant differences attributable to conditions. A straight-line function was fitted to the data, yielding the formula Y = 6.74X + 5.06. This finding adds to the generality of the attitude-attraction relationship and also provides a methodological improvement.
TL;DR: This paper found that Ss pupils dilate when they attempt to generate mental images to words, which may reflect the cognitive difficulty of the imagery task, was greater to abstract than to concrete words, but did not vary with word pleasantness-unpleasantness.
Abstract: Findings from two studies demonstrate that a S’s pupils dilate when he attempts to generate mental images to words. Dilation, which may reflect the cognitive difficulty of the imagery task, was greater to abstract than to concrete words, but did not vary with word pleasantness-unpleasantness.
TL;DR: The intrasleep EEG characteristics of Ss who returned to sleep in the early morning more closely resemble the sleep characteristics which occur late in a full nights sleep rather than the sleep which occurs at the onset of nocturnal sleep.
Abstract: The intrasleep EEG characteristics of Ss who returned to sleep in the early morning more closely resemble the sleep characteristics which occur late in a full nights sleep rather than the sleep which occurs at the onset of nocturnal sleep. It would appear that sleep does not simply “recycle” with sleep onset.
TL;DR: Results of a sentence comprehension test showed that Ss perceive such sentences as ungrammatical approximations to sentences with one embedding rather than as multiply embedded structures.
Abstract: The Miller-Isard hypothesis that people attempt to process multiply self-embedded sentences as recursively interrupted sub-routines was critically examined. Results of a sentence comprehension test showed that Ss perceive such sentences as ungrammatical approximations to sentences with one embedding rather than as multiply embedded structures. The Miller-Isard hypothesis appeared irrelevant to the actual processing performance of the naive Ss.
TL;DR: This paper found that providing the initial letter of the correct answer significantly facilitated recall as compared to provision of an incorrect first letter or no letter clue, while providing the incorrect first or no-letter clue significantly reduced recall.
Abstract: Ss were able to predict better than chance which common-knowledge question that they had missed on a recall test they would subsequently answer correctly on a multiple-choice test. Providing the initial letter of the correct answer significantly facilitated recall as compared to provision of an incorrect first letter or no letter clue.
TL;DR: The magnitude of the negative contrast effect obtained in post-shift performance was directly related to the magnitude of reward decrement.
Abstract: Five groups of 12 rats each were given 20 daily training trials in a straight runway and were rewarded with either 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 20 mg food pellets, respectively. All groups were then shifted to 1 pellet reward for 14 additional trials. Performance during Training was an increasing monotonic function of the amount of reward. The magnitude of the negative contrast effect obtained in post-shift performance was directly related to the magnitude of reward decrement.
TL;DR: The authors found that high arousal words showed superior immediate and delayed retention compared to low arousal words, and also evoked greater cephalic vasoconstriction, defensive reflexes, and increased defensive response.
Abstract: Contrary to implications of previous paired-associate learning studies and Walker’s theory, high arousal words showed superior immediate as well as delayed retention. GSRs were reliably greater for the high than the low arousal words. High arousal words also evoked reliably greater cephalic vasoconstriction, defensive reflexes, than low arousal words.
TL;DR: The results conform with the view that the neocortical commissures serve to unify adjustment to the visual world and their presence tends to prevent the two half brains from making discordant volitional decisions.
Abstract: The performance of two choice reactions, one with each hand, in response to two visual discrimination tasks presented simultaneously, one in each half of the visual field, normally takes much longer than the performance of either one alone. In commissurotomized human patients, however, the double task was performed as rapidly as the single task. The results conform with the view that the neocortical commissures serve to unify adjustment to the visual world (Gazzaniga et al, 1965) and their presence tends to prevent the two half brains from making discordant volitional decisions.
TL;DR: Siamese fighting fish showed a waning tendency to view both their own reflections and a similar fish during trials lasting 32 hours as discussed by the authors, and all Ss spent more time viewing their reflections than viewing the live stimulus fish.
Abstract: Siamese fighting fish showed a waning tendency to view both their own reflections and a similar fish during trials lasting 32 hr. Although both stimuli elicited aggressive displays, all Ss spent more time viewing their reflections than viewing the live stimulus fish.
TL;DR: It was found that cats and raccoons could not reach criterion while monkeys and chimpanzees did, and Chimpanzees were superior to monkeys but the two groups overlapped.
Abstract: Three cats, 3 raccoons, 3 monkeys, and 3 chimpanzees were trained in 1-trial simple oddity problems until criterion was attained or 4800 trials were administered. Identical stimuli and procedures were used with all Ss. It was found that cats and raccoons could not reach criterion while monkeys and chimpanzees did. Chimpanzees were superior to monkeys but the two groups overlapped.
TL;DR: There are similarities between pigeons’ behavior under interval reinforcement schedules and the behavior of rats in runways and a free-operant experiment analogous in certain respects to the double-runway procedure produced large “frustration effects” in pigeons.
Abstract: There are similarities between pigeons’ behavior under interval reinforcement schedules and the behavior of rats in runways. A free-operant experiment analogous in certain respects to the double-runway procedure produced large “frustration effects” in pigeons, lending support to this comparison.