Thomas J. Ryan

Children’s response speeds as a function of sex and verbal reinforcement schedule

Kindergarten children received 48 lever-pulling trials under conditions of partial (33%) or continuous (100%) verbal reinforcement. Over training, partial reinforcement led to increasingly faster speeds relative to continuous reward. These data are consistent with previous research employing tangible reinforcers, and with current theoretical formulations of the role of nonreinforcement in partial-reinforcement situations.

Effects of reward schedule and chronological age on motor performance of mental retardates

Mentally retarded children in two age ranges were given 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70% or 100% reward on a lever-pulling task. Partial reward led to increasing response speed as a function of training, while speeds of the 0% and 100% groups did not change over blocks of trials. Chronological age had no effect on lever-pulling speeds.

The effects of direct and vicarious nonreward upon instrumental performance

Kindergarten children performed in pairs on a double lever (R1 and R2) apparatus An group 50:100, Child A received 50% reward for R1 responses and Child B received 100% reward for R2 responses. In group 100:100 Child A and Child B received 100% reward for R1 and R2 responses, respectively. The R1 data were contrary to previous findings with rats and children in that Ss rewarded on a 50% schedule responded more slowly than those who were continuously rewarded.