An Analysis of Sequential Variables in Pavlovian Conditioning : A Similar Ruleset Predicts both Pavlovian and Instrumental Conditioning Outcomes

ISBN-13: 9783639110128 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 96 str.

Ronald Miller

Opis

For many years, there has been a basic distinctionmade between Pavlovian and Instrumental Conditioning.While the two forms of conditioning are similar, abasic distinction made between them has been thepartial reinforcement effect (PREE), which seems toonly occur in instrumental conditioning. In fact, inMackintosh's seminal work "The Psychology of AnimalLearning" the PREE was used as a fundamentaldistinction between Pavlovian and Instrumentalconditioning. This set of experiments sought to applyCapaldi's sequential theory, where memories of priortrials help predict current trials, etc., to thesomewhat intractable problem of the Pavlovian PREE.The question was whether sequential theory couldpredict the Pavlovian PREE, its occurrence, strength,etc. This was accomplished successfully. The resultsimply that Pavlovian and Instrumental conditioningmay actually be the same form of conditioning asrevealed when analyzed utilizing sequential theory.

O autorze

Dr. Ronald Mellado Miller received his Ph.D. in 2003 from Purdue
University in Experimental Psychology. His thesis adviser was
John Capaldi, the founder of Sequential Theory. Dr. Miller is
currently teaching at Brigham Young University in Hawaii. He has
performed a variety of research and consulting projects
throughout Asia and Polynesia.