Transfer of training in the mastery of an antagonistic habit after varying intervals of time.

Abstract

The preceding studies in this series of investigations of the transfer-time question have attempted to determine the extent to which the positive transfer effect from one learning situation to another is a function of the interval of time between them. Training on, one problem may however interfere with the later learning of a similar problem rather than facilitate it, and the question investigated in the present study is whether or not the negative transfer effect shown in the learning of the second problem is a function of the amount of time elapsing before the second is learned.Bergstrom (1) studied interference in card-sorting tasks and found that the interference effects was quite marked when only a few seconds elapsed between the two sortings, but decreased as the interval was made longer and disappeared completely after an interval of 24 hours. The related studies in the animal field have reported a two-phase result in the amount of positive transfer as a function of time. The amount apparently increases at first and then declines gradually as the interval of time between the two tests is made longer. This result has been found in one instance when the first task was completely mastered (4), and in another maze study when the first problem was only partly mastered (7). These results, taken together with the data on the retention of a maze problem for short as well as long intervals of time (3,11), indicate that apparently an increase in the efficiency of performance follows the lapse of a short interval of time 189

General transfer across sensory modalities survives reductions in the original conditioned reflex in the rabbit

“…The results of the present experiment indicate that general transfer across sensory modalities occurs despite demonstrable reductions in the overt strength of the original conditioned reflex. The present results are generally consistent with previous findings that general transfer occurs even when the specifics of the original association can no longer be retrieved (e.g., Bunch, 1939;Ellis, 1965). Conversely, the present results disagree with Westbrook and Homewood's (1982) finding that general transfer in aversion learning between distinctive flavors was eliminated by extinction of the original aversion.…”

“…Some instances of general transfer may rely on mechanisms that become independent of the earlier associations (Bunch, 1939). In human verbal learning, retention of specific associations declines rapidly, but the magnitude of general transfer is constant over retention intervals of weeks in duration (e.g., Bunch, 1936Bunch, , 1944Bunch & McCraven, 1938;Ellis, 1965, pp.…”

“…Similar results have been obtained in animal learning. Bunch (1939) examined transfer from a right-turn habit to a left-turn habit in aT-maze. After retention intervals of 0-2 days, the transfer was negative in direction, as would be expected for two physically antagonistic responses.…”

Learning to Learn: Real-Time Features and a Connectionist Model

“…In monkeys and human children, Harlow saw a progressive increase in the rate of learning across a series of simple discrimination problems. 1 Features of Learning to Learn Learning to learn often has seemed to be a superordinate form of learning (Bunch, 1939; Rodgers & Thomas, 1982;Holt & Kehoe, 1985). Two key features have produced this impression.…”

The Effect of Cue on Reversal Learning After Varying Periods of Rest

“…1) In the group which is given obscure cues, their performance will depend chiefly upon the habit strength. Therefore the reversal learning will be inhibited after a short time of rest, but after a longer time interval it will probably facilitated as shown by Bunch (2). 2) In the group which is given added cues, the reversal learning may be facilitated after a short time interval because the sti-mulus situatiotl is more differentiated.…”