Concept-shift and discrimination-reversal learning in humans.

Wolff, Joseph L.

doi:10.1037/h0025189

Cited by 107 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 162 publications

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“…The performance of subjects trained on a high-dominant dimension (form) and maintained on that same dimension during the shift (10 group) did not differ reliably from the performance of subjects trained on a lowdominant (position) and shifted to a high-dominant dimension (ED group) . This finding and the significant influence of dimensional dominance in initial training are consistent with Wolff's (1967) suggestion that almost all subjects, regardless of age, dimcnsionalize stimuli in discrimination tasks. Seitz and Weir (1971) have proposed that older children and adults should be mixed dimensional responders and not have a dominant dimension.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

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Dimensional dominance and adult shift learning

Ozioko

May

1977

Bull. Psychon. Soc.

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Forty-eight adults learned intradimensional (ID) or extradimensional (ED) shifts in a total change paradigm under one of two conditions of dimensional dominance and one of two conditions of irrelevant dimension variability. Results showed a significant dominance main effect in initial training and significant Dominance by Shift and Variability by Shift interactions in shift training. When shifts were to a high-dominant dimension, there was no appreciable difference between ID and ED shifts. When shifts were to a low-dominant dimension, ID shift was easier than ED shift. The ID shift was learned faster than the ED shift when irrelevant dimensions in shift varied within trials. No reliable difference was found between ID and ED shifts when irrelevant dimensions varied between trials. These results support Esposito's (1975b) conclusion that the same principles guide shift behavior in children and adults.Esposito (l975a, b) suggested that for adults the apparent ease of intradimensional (ID) shifts over extradimensional (ED) shifts is partially a function of dimensional dominance. Several studies have shown that children find shifts to a high-dominant dimension easier than shifts to a low-dominant dimension (e.g., May & Fernandez, 1974). Esposito's work relating dominance to adult shift learning indicated that adults show the same type of discrimination shift behavior which is thought to characterize children's shift learning.In addition, Esposito (1975a) suggested that shift performance may be a function of irrelevant dimension variability. While this variable has received little attention, Dickerson, Wagner, and Campione (1970) found that 5-year-olds learned ID shifts faster than ED when the irrelevant dimensions varied within trials and that the ID-ED difference was negligible when the irrelevant dimensions varied between trials (constant within trials). Shepp and Gray (1971) and Zeaman and Denegre (1967) reported somewhat similar findings with kindergarten children and retardates, respectively. However, this variable has not been explicitly dealt with using adults as subjects.It has been suggested (e.g., Kendler & Kendler, 1962) that age differences in shift learning may be indicative of differences in basic learning processes between young children compared with adults. However, the similarity of results reported by Esposito (1975b) with adults and Dickerson et al. (I 970) with children suggest that dimensional dominance has a very similar effect upon the shift learning of both children and adults. One purpose of the present study was to replicate Esposito's fmdings with adults. A second purpose was to assess the generality of

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…However, there was a substantial effect due to dimensional dominance [F(l ,40) = 168.47 , P < .001] which accounted for 80% of the total variance. Consistent with similar studies using children as subjects (Wolff, 1967), the form-relevant group (mean = 1.88) made fewer errors than the position-relevant group (mean = 7.00).…”

Section: Initial Trainingsupporting

confidence: 77%

Dimensional dominance and adult shift learning

Ozioko

May

1977

Bull. Psychon. Soc.

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“…What is of interest is that the EDS group solved the shift problem faster than did the IDS group, 9.04 vs 14.33 blocks to solution (t = 2.46, df = 46, P < .02). This is the opposite of what is usually found with college·age Ss (see Wolff, 1967, for a review of this literature). Table 1 shows summary statistics for some characteristics of hypothesis sampling for various groups of Ss.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 42%

Some characteristics of hypothesis sampling in concent identification

1970

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“…Whether the learning of an extradimensional shift (EDS) is similarly facilitated by this variable is open to question. Considering this matter in a recent article, Wolff (1967) tentatively concluded that the exact effect of overtraining on EDS may ultimately depend on both individual difference variables and procedural variations in the administration of the shift itself. More specifically, he hypothesized that the magnitude of overtraining facilitation is an inverse function of both subject age and the degree of stimulus change from original to transfer learning, Supporting this hypothesis are the following facts.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(See Wolff, 1967, for a review of pertinent studies.) Whether the learning of an extradimensional shift (EDS) is similarly facilitated by this variable is open to question.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Overtraining and stimulus change in extra-dimensional shifts

Wolff

Guthrie

1968

Psychon Sci

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It has been established that overtrammg facilitates discrimination-reversal learning in human Ss under a wide variety of conditions. (See Wolff, 1967, for a review of pertinent studies.) Whether the learning of an extradimensional shift (EDS) is similarly facilitated by this variable is open to question. Considering this matter in a recent article, Wolff (1967) tentatively concluded that the exact effect of overtraining on EDS may ultimately depend on both individual difference variables and procedural variations in the administration of the shift itself. More specifically, he hypothesized that the magnitude of overtraining facilitation is an inverse function of both subject age and the degree of stimulus change from original to transfer learning, Supporting this hypothesis are the following facts.(I) Nearly all studies showing strong overtraining facilitation on EDS have been performed with college Ss and llave employed an arrangement in which the shift stimuli were the same as were used in original learning~ nearly all studies showing no significant effect of overtraining on EDS, on the other hand, have been performed with children and -have used

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Concept-shift and discrimination-reversal learning in humans.

Cited by 107 publications

References 162 publications

Dimensional dominance and adult shift learning

Dimensional dominance and adult shift learning

Some characteristics of hypothesis sampling in concent identification

Overtraining and stimulus change in extra-dimensional shifts

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