An experimental test of a two-factor theory of inhibition.

Abstract

A total of 474 human subjects were run in an alphabet printing expt. with the end in view of testing a version of Hull''s 2-factor theory of inhibition modified to handle certain phenomena of motor learning. The 2 factors, reactive inhibition and conditioned inhibition, were separated out of the total decrement produced in motor learning by an extreme degree of massing. This was accomplished by allowing different groups of subjects to rest at different stages of learning and observing the amt. of improvement in performance after the rest and the amt. by which these groups were still inferior to a group practicing under more favorable conditions throughout the course of learning. It was found that reactive inhibition reaches what seems to be an asymptotic value after a very few learning trials and shows some tendency to decrease late in learning. Conditioned inhibition, on the other hand, increases as a function of the amt. of practice prior to rest, apparently as a negatively accelerated function of this variable.