Comparison of effects of small lesions in posterodorsal septum on spontaneous and rerun correction (contingently reinforced) alternation in rats.

Compared characteristics of T-maze alternation behavior by giving 11 hooded rats 7 sessions under conditions of "rerun correction" (contingent reinforcement for alternation) and another 11 Ss the same number of sessions with noncontingent reinforcements (i.e., entering either goal arm of the –T maze was reinforced). Both groups alternated significantly above chance, and the difference in medians between groups was small but significant. However, Ss given rerun correction training quickly came against the "ceiling" of 100% alternation, and individual differences were small. Scores of Ss run under conditions of "spontaneous" alternation were more variable, both within and between Ss. In a 2nd part of the study, 6 Ss in each group received small electrolytic lesions in posterodorsal septum. There were 5 operated-control Ss from each group. After 2-wk recovery all Ss were again given 7 sessions in the –T maze. Under rerun correction procedure, controls retained near-perfect alternation scores. Most Ss with lesions dropped to chance levels but recovered to control level over the sessions. Ss tested under spontaneous alternation conditions behaved quite differently. Controls continued to alternate significantly, but Ss with lesions alternated significantly less and did not recover. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visual and haptic training and cross-modal transfer of reflectivity.

98 3rd- and 4th-grade boys were individually administered the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT) and the Haptic Matching Task (HMT) in one session. Both are match-to-sample tasks measuring the dimension of reflection–impulsivity, the MFFT in the visual modality and the HMT in the haptic modality. 30 Ss classified as impulsive on both tasks were seen for 2 additional sessions during which they received either reflective scanning strategy training or control procedures and retesting on the 2 tasks. Ss who were visually trained decreased errors only on the MFFT and increased latency on both tasks. Ss who were haptically trained decreased errors and increased latency on the HMT and also on the MFFT. A hypothesis combining task difficulty and motivational and attentional level is offered to explain the asymmetrical transfer of training on errors. It is suggested that the haptic training procedure might be useful with blind Ss. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Identification of disoriented objects: Effects of context of prior presentation": Errata.

Reports an error in the original article by P. Jolicoeur and B. Milliken ( Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 1989 [Mar], Vol 15[2], 200–210). Parts of 2 sentences were omitted in the left column on page 202; these sentences should read as follows: "Half of the Ss in the rotated group received the following type of block order: R1A, R2A, R3A, R4A, R5A, T6A–6B. The other half of the Ss had Set B objects in the training phase (first 5 blocks), but received the same transfer trials. Half of the Ss in the upright group received the same transfer trials. Half of the Ss in the upright group received block orders of the following type: U1A, U2A, U1A, U2A, U1A, T6A–6B." (For original abstract, see record 1989-24712-001). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Area and volume conservation among the elderly: Assessment and training.

Conducted 2 studies to examine whether the elderly maintain the competence to adequately solve problems of logical thinking. In the 1st study the performance of 60 noninstitutionalized middle-class elderly females was assessed on area and volume conservation tasks. On overall performance only 33.3% of the Ss were classified as conservers. In the 2nd study a training paradigm was used to determine whether simple verbal feedback activated the strategies required for adequate performance on conservation tasks. 22 Ss who failed at least 2 conservation tasks in the assessment study were administered a 20-trial training procedure. Half of these Ss received simple verbal feedback following each response, while half received no feedback. Results on an immediate posttest indicated that the feedback group performed significantly better than the control group on the near transfer posttest task and on the majority of far transfer tasks. The results are discussed in terms of a distinction between competence and performance. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevention of learned helplessness in humans.

Prevention of learned helplessness (LH) through the use of thermal biofeedback training and varied explanations of performance was explored. One group of Ss received biofeedback training directly prior to exposure to an experimentally produced LH situation. A 2nd group also received biofeedback training but were given false/negative feedback about their performance. A 3rd group received only the LH procedure, and a 4th group served as a no-treatment control. Only in the biofeedback group receiving accurate feedback was there any prevention of the subsequent development of LH behavior. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stimulus control of avoidance behavior in rats following differential or nondifferential Pavlovian training along dimensions of the conditioned stimulus.

Assigned 36 male albino Holtzman rats, following 2-way avoidance training with an auditory CS, to 1 of 6 Pavlovian manipulations: discrimination or equivalence training along frequency or intensity dimensions, nominal single stimulus training, or unsignalled shocks only. Subsequently, Ss received separate generalization tests when frequency and/or intensity were varied. Intradimensional discrimination training tended to steepen generalization gradient and resulted in a peak shift away from the negative CS (safety signal) within the frequency continuum. Pseudodiscrimination equivalence training typically reduced stimulus control, even when training and test stimuli were not along the same dimension. These modifications of avoidance generalization gradients through interpolated noncontingent training provide additional evidence of the transfer of Pavlovian control to instrumental behavior. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Metacognitive differences between skilled and less skilled readers: Remediating deficits through story grammar and attribution training.

Designed a metacognitive intervention program to remediate the failures of 42 4th-grade boys in using metacognitive skills to aid their reading comprehension. The program consisted of 2 components: story grammar training, designed to increase comprehension monitoring; and attribution training, designed to increase awareness of effort in efficient reading. Ss were assigned to 3 groups: 1 group received both components and the other 2 groups each received one component alone. 14 skilled 4th-grade male readers served as a contrast group. Maintenance was assessed through free and probed recall; generalization was assessed through a metareading test and an error detection and correction task. Results indicate that strategy training produced dramatic gains in comprehension. Only Ss receiving attribution training alone showed poorer performance than skilled readers. Partial support was obtained for generalization on the metareading assessment. It is concluded that strategy training improved poor readers' comprehension by providing them with metacognitive skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social-skills training with institutionalized elderly: Effects of precounseling structuring and overlearning on skill acquisition and transfer.

66 institutionalized elderly patients (mean age 65.5 yrs) were assigned to 6 experimental conditions and 1 control condition. Half of the treatment Ss received a precounseling structuring session prior to training. During training, one-third of the Ss received low overlearning, one-third received medium overlearning, and one-third received high overlearning. Controls were given a combination of attention and brief instructions. Analyses of covariance with level of cognitive functioning as the covariate revealed that all treatment groups acquired the skill. Results also indicate that (a) medium overlearning enhanced skill transfer, (b) high overlearning decreased skill acquisition and transfer, and (c) precounseling structuring had no effect on acquisition or transfer. Findings suggest that the method evaluated was effective in teaching a social skill to institutionalized elderly. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preservation of cross-modal transfer of a rate discrimination in the bushbaby (Galogo senegalensis) with lesions of posterior neocortex.

Assessed the effect of lesions of posterior neocortex, using a test method that permits the demonstration of cross-modal transfer in intact bushbabies. Eight Ss were trained to discriminate light flashes of 18/sec and 3/sec in a go-no-go shock avoidance task. On completion of training, 4 Ss received lesions of posterior neocortex by aspiration. After 6 wks both lesion and intact Ss were returned to training in the visual discrimination. On the day following criterion performance on the visual test, auditory clicks of the same rate and contingencies were substituted and maintained to criterion. All 8 Ss demonstrated rapid transfer, and the lesion Ss were not retarded as compared with intact Ss. The cross-modal transfer of a specific rate discrimination was thus preserved in the absence of posterior intersensory neocortex. Results are discussed in terms of a hypothetical subcortical system capable of the amodal coding of simple stimulus dimensions. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Probability learning on incidentally observed dimensions: A response bias effect.

Performed 2 experiments with 140 university students which demonstrate the occurrence of response bias effects as a function of previous probability learning and which are independent of stimulus dimensions. In Exp I, Ss first received training predicting the alternatives on a brightness dimension of metric patterns on a 70-30 probability distribution with the incidental dimensions of symmetry and concentration varying independently either on 70-30 or 50-50 distributions. After 200 trials, Ss were shifted to an incidental dimension; they predicted dimension alternatives on the incidental dimensions at a rate higher than appropriate controls Ss with no prior training. Exp II demonstrated that the response bias effect was dependent on the nature of the prior probability training. Ss first predicted on a 70-30 distribution of shape and were shifted to either a 70-30 or 50-50 distribution of nonsense syllables. Comparisons with nontraining control groups showed that Ss with prior training predicted the nonsense syllable alternatives at a higher rate. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rules as tools: Effective generalization of verbal self-regulative communication training by first-grade speakers.

Tested whether referential communication training of young speakers can be generalized to novel tasks. 19 1st graders were taught to use 2 general communication rules through a verbal self-regulation procedure. Three groups were tested: a practice control and 2 training groups. In the 1st training group, Ss were trained on 2 tasks. In the 2nd group, Ss received the same training but in only 1 context. Results show that both training groups performed better than the controls on both direct training posttests and novel generalization tasks, immediately as well as 2 wks later. However, there were no significant differences between the 2 training groups. It is concluded that verbal self-regulation training appears to be a promising means of obtaining generalizaion of speaking skills in young children, in support of findings by D. Meichenbaum and J. Goodman (see record 1971-23785-001). (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training and transfer in combinatorial problem solving: The development of formal reasoning during early adolescence.

Studied training and transfer effects in combinatorial problem solving to explore the emergence of combinatorial competence as an aspect of the development of formal reasoning and to examine the effectiveness of a training procedure based on principles of "programmed discovery." 80 12-14 yr olds participated in a pretest, 2 training or placebo sessions, an immediate posttest, and a delayed posttest 2 mo later. Significant increases in combinatorial skill with age were shown, and the expression of this skill was significantly facilitated if problems involved "concrete" material of low complexity. With the oldest Ss, training produced significant improvements in performance on combinatorial tasks that were markedly different from the training items in both content and modality. Significant improvements over time and with practice were also evident with the older Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reversal of cognitive and affective deficits associated with depression and learned helplessness by mood elevation in patients

Therapeutic implications of the learned helplessness model of depression were tested in a clinical population (48 male medical and psychiatric patients of a VA hospital). In pretreatment, 2 groups of nondepressed medical patients waited, 2 groups of nondepressed medical patients received helplessness training, and 2 groups of psychiatric patients (diagnosed as primary affective disorder) waited. In treatment, Ss received either E. Velten's (1968) mood-elation procedure as "therapy" or Velten's (1968) mood-neutral procedure as placebo. Performance on cognitive and mood tasks was assessed. Three separate administrations of the Depression Adjective Check List indicated that helplessness training induced depressive affect, and the mood elation procedure decreased depressive affect for both helpless and depressed Ss. The mood neutral procedure and the waiting periods were associated with no affective changes. On the cognitive (anagrams) task, performance deficits were associated with helplessness and depression but were reversed by mood elation. Results are interpreted as consistent with the learned helplessness model of depression. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of desensitization treatment on core-condition training.

Tested the prediction that training for helping skills when paired with desensitization treatment will improve significantly the posttest ratings of the trainee's helping function. 2 groups of 9 male and 7 female adult trainees each were matched systematically and trained over a 6-wk period to function in a helping role. Ss received preliminary training in empathy, respect, concreteness, and genuineness. Following preliminary training, the experimental group received 1 wk. of desensitization treatment; the control group did not. Both the control and experimental Ss proceeded to a 6-wk advanced training in empathy, respect, concreteness, and genuineness. Results of pre- and posttest ratings on measures of helping skills in the preliminary and advanced training indicate a significant training effect was obtained for both groups. Desensitization treatment was a significant source of variance for the experimental Ss in training (p     

Geriatric patients who improve in token economy and general milieu treatment programs: A multivariate analysis.

Assigned 80 chronic geriatric mental hospital patients, mean age 68.8 yrs, to token economy and general milieu programs. In each program, staff received the same amount of training, and the physical environments were identical. All Ss were rated with the Psychotic Inpatient Profile and the Vigor Intactness Relationship Orientation. Results show significant decreases over 6 mo on both wards in frequency of bizarre and unusual behaviors. Incontinence decreased immediately after transfer to the treatment wards, and there were changes over 6 mo in the amount of staff care given to Ss. Multiple discriminant analyses indicated that in each ward different constellations of pretreatment characteristics discriminated between Ss who improved and those who did not improve in the frequency of bizarre and unusual behaviors. In the token economy, improved Ss were characterized as less "institutionalized," in better physical condition, and actively exhibiting their troubles. In the general milieu, improved Ss were discriminated by less responsiveness to an interviewer. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of an operational game as a method of task familiarization.

A method of pretraining which consisted of practice on a highly abstract version of the test task was evaluated by experimental (E) vs. control (C) procedures. 10 Ss were used in each group. The E group received 5 hours practice on the abstract "game," and subsequently both groups received 6 hours training on the test task. The E group's performance was reliably superior to the C group throughout the 6-hour test task period although the difference gradually diminished. It was concluded that positive transfer in complex tasks is based on the practice of verbally mediated, central responses common to both pretraining and test tasks. From Psyc Abstracts 36:05:5CL01K. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Knowing and telling: Type of rule and level of knowledge about messages in children's use of self-regulative communication training.

23 1st- and 2nd-graders were assigned to 3 training groups: a practice control group, a comparison rule-only group, and a 2-rule group that received training on both a comparison rule and a rule that required the Ss to identify the listener's set of potential nonreferents. Ss were trained on a complex picture message task and tested for generalization of speaker training on another referential task; knowledge about message ambiguity in communication situations was measured pretest. Results show significant training effects on immediate and delayed (10 days later) posttest only for the 2-rule group; some generalization of training was observed for this group to a novel task. Training and generalization effects were correlated with the Ss' initial knowledge about the role of messages in communication. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teasing out cognitive development from cognitive style: A training study.

Tested whether cognitive development and cognitive style (field-dependence/independence) are different dimensions. The present study was conducted in the context of J. Pascual-Leone's (1974) model of cognitive development, in which an important aspect of cognitive development is delineated by mental capacity, and an important dimension of cognitive style is field-dependence/independence. 74 5.5–6.5 and 7.5–8.5 yr old Ss were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 trainers who taught half the group with a method developed by R. Case and the present 1st author (1974), and the other half of the group with a method designed to train Ss to actively look for informational cues. It was found that cognitive development and cognitive style are distinctly different dimensions because posttest data showed that, under training conditions that were suited to S's cognitive style, field-dependent older Ss were able to perform developmentally appropriate "control-of-variables" tasks at the same level as their field-independent age peers. Both of these groups outperformed younger field-independent Ss. Findings are discussed with regard to the theoretical model, their relevance to the stylistic dimension of reflection/impulsivity, and their educational implications. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Generalization from categorical memory tasks to prose by learning disabled adolescents.

Investigated how 60 learning disabled ([LD] aged 12 yrs to 14 yrs 5 mo) and 20 age-matched nondisabled (NLD) Ss would transfer the use of 4 study rules from instructed materials (pictures) to a prose recall task. Four phases spread over a 3-wk period were involved: pretest, informational phase (2 lessons), individualized training (3 lessons), and posttest. Results show that LDs performed poorly relative to NLD peers at pretest on categorical picture and prose recall tasks. 20 LD Ss who received rule-only instruction and 20 LD Ss who received rule-plus-prose examples instruction surpassed 20 LD Ss in the control condition at posttest on the picture task in rule use and in recall. On the prose task, a majority of the instructed LD Ss demonstrated transfer of the instructed rules. As a group, the instructed LD Ss no longer differed observably from NLD Ss in recall or in the strategies they employed to study and to retrieve. The clinical view that LD Ss are characterized by a failure to generalize was not supported by these findings. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transfer effects of success and failure training from one reinforcing agent to another.

Determined the transfer effects of behavior changes in the presence of 1 reinforcing agent (Experimenter A) on behavior in the presence of another agent (Experimenter B). Ss were 36 boys 6-10 yrs old in grades 1-3, judged to have poor attention span and low achievement in arithmetic. The experimental task consisted of a series of counting problems. Each session included 2 12-min subsessions during which S could earn token reinforcement only by attending to the task and solving problems. Experimenter A conducted 1 subsession and Experimenter B conducted the other. An O recorded inappropriate classroom behavior (talking and out-of-seat behavior). Following the establishment of stable, intermediate baseline levels of counting, Experimenter A introduced a more favorable reinforcement schedule (success training) for some Ss and a less favorable schedule (failure training) for some Ss, but continued baseline schedules for Ss in the control condition. Experimenter B continued baseline schedules for all Ss. The effects of success training produced generalization of greater counting behavior while the effects of failure training produced no transfer of less counting behavior and generalization of greater inappropriate classroom behavior. There was no evidence for behavior contrast. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)