Transfer of Discrimination Learning Based Upon Contingent and Noncontingent Training Procedures

Abstract

An experiment was performed to determine the extent to which the transfer of discrimination training (DT) from one response class to another depends upon the specific response classes employed. One group of Ss (rats) first received free operant DT (S^D = light on, S^Δ = light off) on a horizontal bar-pressing response, while another group received noncontingent DT. Both groups then received DT with a vertical bar-pressing response, one-half of each group with the same S^D and S^Δ as in original training, the other half with the S^D and S^Δ reversed. Highly significant transfer was found for both original learning conditions and no significant differences could be detected in the amount of transfer in these two conditions. These results were interpreted as providing further evidence that the inter-response transfer of DT is not a matter of response generalization but involves a mediational process. Several possible mediational processes are discussed.