Performance of children in a discrimination problem as a function of symbolic guidance, delay of reward, and mental ability

114 Pages·05.348 MB·English

by  Jacobs, Alfred

pi|pam&ra of children in a discrimination probiem
AS A FUNCTION OF SYMBOLIC GUIDANCE, DELAY OF
reward, and mental ability
Alfred Jacobs
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
in the Department of Psychology in the
Graduate College of the State
University of Iowa
August 1950
ProQuest Number: 10598592
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The author wish©a to express his appreciation to
Br« X* E. Farber and Dr* Arthur L* Benton for
their guidance in the course of this investiga­
tion* Thanks are also due to the staffs and
residents of Woodward State Hospital and School
at Woodward, Iowa, the Annie Httenmyer Hoiae at
Davenport, Iowa, St* Vincent’s Home at Davenport,
Iowa, the Lutheran Homes in Muscatine, Iowa, and
the Lutheran Childrens Home in Waverly, Iowa,
for their cooperation*
The University of Iowa
LIB HA HIES
ii
wm of Gcmms
Chapter
I* Introduction.................................................................... 1
The Bole of Verbalisation ............. 1
Verbalisation and Belay of %ward . «........... 3
Verbalisation and Mental Development............. 6
II* Statement of the Problem ...................... 10
III. Kaqperimental Procedure .......................... 13
Subjects ......... IS
Apparatus ........... 18
Procedure ................. 23
IV. Results............................ 31
Learning Curves ................. 51
Analysis of Effects of Main Variables.................. 38
Analysis of Interactions ......... 46
%mbolic Training ............. 49
V* Discussion .............. 55
Belay of Seward.............................. 55
Symbolic Guidance ................. 55
Groups of Subjects ................... @0
Interactions ............................ 61
VI. Summary.............. 64
References .......................... 71
Appendix A ............. 73
Appendix B ............................................. 77
ill
TABLE OF COMMTS (continued)
Chapter Page
Appendix C ........... ........................ 8$
Appendix D ..................•........... ..............*........ 85
Appendix S ................... . . ................................ 87
Appendix F .......................................... 91
Appendix 0 ...................... ............ 04
Appendix K ........................... 96
Appendix I ........................................ 90
iv
tabiu of Fimms
Figure Page
1* Schematic presentation of ih© design of th©
experiment . . ........................................................ 12
2. Stimuli used in the experiment...................................... 19
$« Subject1 a view of the apparatus................... ............. 21
4* Experimenter's side of the apparatus .... .. ........... ZZ
5* Schematised drawing of front and back of the
apparatus . . .........................*........................ * 23
6. The mean number of correct responses for blocks
of five trials on each of the three tasks
for the four experimental subgroups from the
sanple of older normals ................................. 32
7. The mean number of correct responses for blocks
of five trials on each of the three tasks
for the four experimental subgroups from the i
sample of younger normals ......... 34
8. The mean number of correct responses for blocks
of five trials on each of the three tasks
for the four experimental subgroups from the
sample of mental defectives ...............«• 36
9. The mean number of correct responses on each
of the three tasks for each of the three
groups of subjects ................................ 50
v
TABES OF TABXBS
Table gage,
I* Means, Standard Deviations, and Medians of
th© Total Number of Correct Responses on
All Thro© Tasks for Each of the Twelve
Eaperiraental Subgroups ...................... 40
IX* Means, Standard Deviations, and Medians of
the Humber of Correct Responses on Task 1
Only for Subjects In Each of the Twelve
Experimental Subgroups.................................. 42
XIX* Differences between the Mean Humber of Cor­
rect Rehouses on AH Sbree Tasks for th©
Symbolic Guidance Conditions and for th©
Delay of Reward Conditions for the Three
Groups of Subjects ............................ 4?
XV* lean Humber of Correct Responses on Bach of
Three Tasks by &ach of Three Groups .......... SI
V* Means and Standard Deviation® of Stanford-
Binet Mental Ages (in Months) of Subjects
in Each of the Four Experimental Subgroups
in Each of the Three Groups of Subject®............ 74
VI* Means and Standard Deviations of Stanford-*
Binet Intelligence Quotient® of Subject®
in Each of the Four Experimental Subgroups
in Each of the Three Group® of Subjects ............ 75
VII, Means and Standard Deviation® of Chronological
Ages (in Months) of Subjects in Each of the
Four Experimental Subgroups in Each of th©
Three Groups of Subjects ..................... 7$
VIII* Orders of Stimulus Presentation for Symbolic
Guidance Training and for Tasks 2 and 3 ......... 84
IX* Distribution of Response Button Combinations
for Subjects in the Twelve Experimental
Subgroups ................. @6
vi
TABLE or TABIES (continued)
Table. gfffflt
X. Mean and Indian Numbers of Correct Responses
in Bach Block of Five Trials for the Three
Tasks for Subjects in the Four Experimen­
tal Subgroups from th© Sample of Older
Orphans ...............................*............* * *.................*. 88
XX. Mean and Median lumbers of Correct Responses
in Bach Block of Five Trial® for the Three
Tasks for Subjects in th® Four Experiraen-
tal Subgroups from the Sample of lounger
Orphans ..................... ............ 89
XXX. Mean and Median lumbers of Correct Responses
in Each Block of Five Trials for the Three
Tasks for Subjects in the Four Experiment
tal Subgroups from the Sample of Mental
Defectives ............................ * 90
XXXI. Results of Triple Classification Analysis of
Variance of the Total Number of Correct
Responses on All Tasks Expressed as Normal
Deviates ............... 92
XIV. Results of Triple Classification Analysis of
Variance of the lumber of Correct Responses
on Task 1 Alone Expressed as Log (SI - Num­
ber Correct) ...*«.*, ........... 93
XV. Mean Number of Correct Responses on Task 2 and
Taik 3 for Subjects Reaching th© Criterion
on Previous Task® Only for Each of the
Twelve Subgroups ......... 9S
XVI. Means, Standard Deviation® and Median® of the
Number of Correct Responses on Task Z for
Subject® in Each of the Twelve Experimen­
tal Subgroup® ...................................... 97
vii
m m Of w sm * (continued)
Table Page
XVII* Means, Standard Deviations and Medians of
the dumber of Correct Responses on Task
$ for Subjects in Bach of the Twelve Ex­
perimental Subgroups ............... *•*.**...... 08
XVIII. Number of Correct Be ponses on Bach of Three
Tasks and Total Number of Correct Responses
for Bach Subject from the Sasple of Older
Orphans Under Immediate Reward ................ 100
XIX* Number of Correct Responses on Bach of Three
Tasks and Total Number of Correct Responses
for Bach Subject from th© Sample of Older
Oarphan® Under Delayed Reward....................................101
XX* Number of Correct Responses on Each of Three
%sks and Total Number of Correct Responses
for Each 'Subject H*om the Sample of lounger
Orphans Under Belayed Reward .................. 102
XXI* Humber of Correct Responses on Each of Three
Tasks and Total Number of Correct Responses
for Each Subject from the Sample of lounger
Orphans tinder Immediate Reward IDS
XXXI* Number of Correct Responses on Each of Three
Tasks and Total Number of Correct Responses
for Each Subject from the Staple of Mental
Defective® Under Immediate Reward *****........... 104
XXIII* Number of Correct Response® on Each of Three
Tasks and Total Number of Correct Responses
for Each Subject from the Sample of Mental
Defectives Under Immediate Reward *******.............105
will
i
Chapter X
MROBCCtXCffif
the Role of Verbalisation
On® of the important tasks in the application of learning
theory to human behavior is to assess the significance of language
in the production of behavior* Miller and Bollard (11), in their
analysis of social learning, have stressed the importance of language
in supplying human beings with a repertoire of cue-producing responses
and have pointed out, in this connection, that children receive ex­
tensive training in associating words to objects and responses to
words* The associations formed by this training might be represent­
ed schematically as follows s
That these mediating verbal processes can affect the be­
havior of children is indicated by a number of experiments.
Pyles (16) required children between the ages of two and
seven years to find a toy hidden under erne of five papier-mache
"nonsense figures." She provided the children with "nonsense names"
for these figures, and required the children to vocalize the correct