Tactual-kinesthetic discrimination shifts in retarded children

JOURNAL

OF EXPERIMENTAL

CHILD

PSYCHOLOGY

Tactual-Kinesthetic

5, 4.55462 (1967)

Discrimination

Retarded

Shifts

in

Children1

AND

JEROME SMITH University

of Connecticut

Mediational theories of discrimination learning have been supported by shift-performance data in visual-discrimination situations. The present study compared estradimensional (ED), intradimensional (ID) and reversal (R) shifts by retardates in a tactual-kinesthetic (active touch) task. The generality of a mediational approach was substantiated by reliably greater ease of the ID shift compared to the ED shift. ID-R differences were negligible. Acquisition-shift differences revealed negative transfer for ED shifts, positive transfer for ID shifts, and an apparent though nonsignificant positive transfer for R shifts. Form represented a more potent dimension than texture for ai,(luisition of thr problem by retarded Ss.

The superiority of intradimensional (ID) shift performance over extradimensional (ED) shift performance has provided support for mediational theories of dkcrimination learning (Shepp and Turrisi, 1966). JVhen the positive and negative cues of a transfer problem are ordered xlong a stimulus dimension which is relevant to the solution of the training problem (ID shift), performance is superior to that found in a situation in which the cues appropriate to solution of the transfer problem are selected from a dimension which is irrelevant to the solution of the training task (ED shift). The difference is accounted for in terms of a mediation response to the relevant dimension formed during acquisitio!l and transfrrrerl to the shift situation. Despite different theoretical descriptions of the mediating response (e.g., “overt,” KendIer and Kendler, 1959; “ob‘The data from this paper were part of a thesis submitted by the senior author to the Graduate College of Oklahomas State University, in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Science degree. The work was supported by NIMH Training grant HU-46-07. The cooperation of the director and staff of the Hissom Memorial Center, Sands Springs, Oklahoma, is gratefully acknowledged. 455

serving response, ” Zearnan and Howe, 193) invwtigators x’t’ro tc., agrc~ that shift data quire more than a single link S--R explnrr:Ltion. ED-ID differences have been reported for returcl:rtcs ( I-Iorw and %aman, 1962)) normal children (Eimas, 196ti; Furth and I’ouniss, 1964; Trabasso, Deutsch, and Gellmwn, 19661 and rats (Shcpp and Eimas, 19G4). ID performance is superior in the studies cited, but there :tre at least two instances in which the effect has not heen found. Ko diffcrcnccs lucre found by Trabasso et al., when Ss were trained on a patt em rather t.han an object discrimination, and no differences wrc found lvitlr rats trainecl on a problem with a constant irrelevant dimension (Turri~i, Eimq and Shepp, as reported by Shepp and Turrisi, 1966). \Vhilc ljoth t,l~c espcriments reporting no ID-ED difference point t.o vnriablcs rlcacrving of further investigation, the bulk of the data do support the generality of a mediational position. Further tests of the generality of mediation formulations may bc made by investigating the discrimination learning procesr in sense modalities other than visual (Smith, Anderson, Cunningham. and by Pjoberg, 1967). The present study invcstigntcs shift lwrforninncc retardates in a tactual-kinesthetic (active touch) situation. with t,he purpose of determining whether shift rffects arc similar to those found in retardate visual-discrimination learning. While mediational theories predict superiority of ID with respect to ED performance, the relative ease of a reversal (R) shift, is not sitnply specified. For example, in t,he Attention Theory of Zcaman and House (1963), R shift is said to involve positive trnnsfcr of an observing response to the relevant dimension and ncgativc transfer of ~11instrumental response to the previously correct cues. The net cffcct if: a function of the rates of acquisition and extinction of the observing and inetrumcntnl responses, parameters which must hc specified for a given situation. Such precise specification is not possible for the task cmployerl in the present Gtudy. However, R-shift performance is
Subjects. A total of 45 boys and girls (28 lmys and 17 girls) from the Hissom Memorial Center, Sands Springs, Oklahoma. served a’: Se. TIissorn is a custodial and training center for rctnrrlcd children n-ith a student, population of approximately 600. Special education cl:~srs arc conducted within the institution, and it was from the children ~ttt~~din~ tlww rlnsses

that Sq were selected. &lean iU:l. was 88 months (range 6331 1.5) and mean CA 178 months (range 113-291). All 8s had participn,ted in visual discrimination studies, but none had esperiencc in a tnctunl-kilicl~tllctic situation. No S show-c~lgro,.4~ motor or ncurolo~ical deficits ant! Iliqjinostir catcgorics were miser!. Appnrcrtus. The Wisconsin General Test Alq):lratrr.< ( WGTAI) described 1)~ Zeamn~l and House (1963) waq rnodificti for the present task. In place of a sliding .ihclf for prcxnt:ltion of visual tliscriminanda. 3 front panel with two 5 inch diameter holes set, 12 inches apart, was constructed. S c~ould insert his hands into t,he openings in order to feel the objects to be ~liscriminntcd. X was prevcnt~crl from looking at the stimulus objects by cloth sleeves gntherctl 1);~elastic which reduced the openings to a 3-inch diameter and a cloth flap secured behind the opening which obscured viGon but, was pushed back when S’s hands were inecrtcd. Stimulus ohjecti; were mounted on flat rectangk+ of 1h inch micronite 3l/z X 4 inches in length. Thr objects could be esp!orctl manually anI1 pushed backward along a sliding track to reveal the food well. The rrrstomary one-way \.ision mirror nhovc t’he panel permitted observation of Sq. -1 total of 24 Aimulus objects was used. The obj(~t~ wrrc highly dipcriminnblc equal-volume p!:istic solids obtninctl fror~~ the E,tl:n~~nd Scientific In~t,runicnt Company. Pis solids (cube, sphere, pyramid, cone, cylinrlcr, and rectangular solid) were Ilsed. each available in one of four tc~stllrc‘s ~P11100tl1. co:ll‘w xtntlpaper dots. fine .5antlpaper strips. or thin foan1 covering).

Ftrmiliar-izntio~. The experimental sit,uation was intro~luced to S 3s :I “candy game” whose object was finding a piece of candy by inserting both 11:lnd~ into the opening of the WC,TA. Four familiarization trials were run. The first trial rcquirctl finding an “1\1&34” in one of t’he food wells with 110stimulus object covering cit,her: and t.he second trial was identical to the first with the reinforcement in the other well. The third trial rcquircd S to first feel and then push back an object (not one of the csperimental discriminanda) in order to uncover the b&cd well, and the fourth trial had both wells covered by nonespcrimental object, one of which was the object presented on Trial 3 covering the bait.ed well. X was instructctl to push back one object, at a time and if the candy was not under the first. to lil~sh back the second. Correct,ion procedure of this sort was user1 throu4lout the study. Before Trial 4, S was told “What you feel will tell you where the candy is.” These instructions were repeated before acquisition was initiated and repeated irregularly after errors during acquisition.

position from trial to trial. Position of the correct and incorrect relevant cues a? well as position of the irrelevant cues were determined by a Gellermann (1933) series. A total of 25 trials wes given each day, and the acquisition criterion was 20 correct responses in a daily block. S’s failing to reach the acquisition criterion in 6 days (150 trials) were dropped. Correct responses were rewarded with an ‘%L!dV” candy and a verbal statement of “good.” Incorrect responses produced a verbal “no” from E. Transfer. A 2 X 3 factorial design was utilized in the transfer situation, Relevant Dimension (texture or form) x Shift Condition (ID, ED, and R) . Forty-two &‘s reached acquistion criterion (21 texture and 21 form) and 7 were assigned to each of the cells. Transfer conditions were initiated on the (lay following acquisition criterion. The irrelevant dimension in all shifts was variable as was the case during acquisition. Positions of the positive cue and irrelevant cue were detcrminerl in the same mannrr as they were during t,he acquisition phase. No new instructions prcccdcd the transfer trials alt,hough early errors were again followed by the instruction “Remember, what you feel will tell you where the candy is.” Revemal. In the shift problem for revei,sal S’s, the positive cue (luring :~cquisition was made ncg:itive and the negative rue matle positive, with tTvo new values of the irrele\.ant dimension substituted for the cues prosent during acquisition. l/:tmdimensional. The ID-shift Ss wc*rc given two new ciies oi the dimension relevant to acquisition. For tcxturc-relevant :rcquisition Ss the new cuts were dctermincd since there WPN~ only four cut+ in the t~&ure dimension. The cues for form-relevant SS wcrtl randomly selected from the remaining four. The two values of the irrelevant dimension \vcre :~Iso changed for Ss in this group. Positive and negative cue v:~lucs were randomly assigned as was the case in acquisition. Extradimensional. Discriminanda for ED S’s had two relevant, cues randomly drawn from the previously irreleva,nt dimension with the restriction that they were not the same cues involved in acquisition. The new irrelevant. cues also differed from those used in acquisition. -4s was the case in the ID situation, texture cuc~ (whether they were relevant or

TACTUAL-KINESTHETIC

DISCRIWNATIOX

459

irrelevant) were dctermincd by which two had been used during acquisition. Daily blocks o$ trials were ident.ical to those used in acquisition (25) and criterion performance was set at. 20 of 25 correct in a single daily session. Shift performance was permitted to extend to ten non-criterion sessions (250 trials) before training was stopped.

The means and variances of errors to criterion for all learners in both acquisit,ion and transfer are presented in Table 1. An examination of the raw-score data reveals a tendency for means and variances to be correlated and Hartley’s test on the acquisition data shows significant

Problem Texture Form

3 qz k ,qz

heterogeniety of variance, F max (6,6) = 55, p < .Ol. All analyses were done on log errors to criterion +I, a transformation which considerably reduced het’erogeniety of variance, F max (6,6) = 5.8, p > .05. Acquisitiun. Of those Ss dealing with the texture relevant problem, three failed to rpach acquisition criterion, while no A’ failed t,hc form relevant problem. The diffcrcnce between texture (mean log errors +l = 1.0011) and form (mran log errors +I = .6281) for all Ss in acquisition proved to be reliable, t(43) = 3.01, p < .Ol. The acquisition data for learners only were analyzed by means of a 2 X 3 factorial design, Dimension (texture and form) X groups (ID, R, ED). The dimension difference was sufficiently reduced by exclusion of nonlearners so that the dimension effect did not reach the .05 level of significance, F(l,36) = 3.04, p > .05, Seither the group effect, (F < 1) nor Group X Dimension Interaction, F’t2.36) = 1.41 approached significance. The mean log errors +1 for TD, ED, and R groups in acquisition and transfer are presented in T:1hlc* 2. Truns,fer jrow acqukition to shift problem. Examination of the means

Group

Acquisit,ion

111 R

m

Comparisons with Scheffe’s test reveaIed significant ED vs. ID differences, 8’ >F' at a = .05, ED vs. R (liffercnces> F > F' at (V-1 .05 but no ID vs. R differenws. The statistically reliable discrepancy betwen ED performance, on the one handy and ID and R performances on the other, is illustrated by the backward learning curves for the three shift conditions prcscnted in Fig. 1. Since no dimension effect was found in shift pcrformancc, t&we ancl form & are collapsed for each shiit group. While no reliable between or within group effects were fonncf in analysis of the acquisition data, Table 1 reyeals differences in the means of the acquisition groulw. To partial out possible effects of stwting lwel, a factorial cowriance analysis of ttw shift data was performc(1. The effects described in the preceding factornal analysis of shift data was rccowrcd Neither dimension-effect F( I ,35r < I nor a Dimension X Shift Interaction F(2.35) < 1 was obtained, twt :I signifiwnt shift efffact F(2,35) 21.43, p < ,005 was foun~i.

Shift performance on the tactLl:~l-~ir~[~~tlletic pr0bkm ~n~rallels niuch of the data in visual-discrimination studio. The mwliati0n theories which account for visual data would, therefore, seem appropriate for the current findings. ED-shift performance which should involve negative transfcr of thp mediation response was clearly inferior to ID-shift. performance

in which positive mediational transfer should occur. The comparison of R and ID shifts revealed that both kinds of shift produced relatively few errors during shift performance and the difference between the groups was negligible. It may be concluded from these data that the effect of transfer of the instrumental response (ID-R difference) is oversbaclowed by the effects of transfer of the mediating response (ID-ED difierence).

,

CHANCE

------meB-v---------------

-----~---

ID REV ED

FORM AND TEXTURE COMBINED N=l4 IN EACH GROUP

‘d

0 0

5LCCKS FIG.

1. Backward

, 6

4

2

learning

curves

OF

for

5

ID,

1 IO

8

TRIALS

R, and

ED

shift

groups.

While comparisons of ID-ED-shifts performance and ID-R-shift performance give information about the relative cffccts of transfer of mediating and instrumental responses, they do not specify the amoun(. and direction of transfer from acquisition to the shift problem. To obtain such information, Shepp and Turrisi (1966) suggests the inclusion of a control (C) shift. A C shift is a transfer problem whose relevant and irrelevant dimensions were either constant or absent, during training. Comparison of acquisition and shift performance in a C-shift, groin) provides data about t’he amount of nonspecific transfer (warm .up, learning set) occurring in a given situation and offers a base line for measuring tll+a ~lirection of ED, ID, and R transfer. -4lthougb a C-shift group was

not included in the present study, some inferences may be drawn from comparison of acquisition and shift performance. ED pcrfol,mance was significantly worse than acquisition performance while ID performance was significantly better. Mean R performance appeared to be better t.han acquisition but the difference was not statistically reliable. Unless one would expect C-shift performance to bc greatly inferior to acquisition (nonspecific negative transfer), it appeal .qk, reasonable to conclude that ED performance represents negative mediational transfer. \Vhile ID performance was better than acquisition performance, the lack of a C-shift group leaves some doubt as to whether the transfer was a fm~ction of mediational facilitation or nonspecific positive transfer. However, sinve mediation theories would predict ncgativc mediation transfer for the ED group, positive mediation transfer plus negative instrumental transfer for the R group, and positive mediation transfer for the ID group, and since the acquisition-transfer comparison in this study produced overall negative transfer in the ED group, no differenpr in the R group and positive transfer in the ID group, theory and data seem qllite compatible despite the lack of precision provided by a C-shift comparison. REFERENCES

overtraining and age on intradimensional and rxtradimensional shifts in chilclren. J. cxp. cUd PsI/c/To~.,1966, 3, 348-355. FTJRTH, H. G., AND YOUXISS,J. Effrct of overtraining~7on three discrimination shifts ENAS,

P. D.

in children.

Effects

J. camp.

of

phpsiol.

l’s~ckol.,

1964, 57, 290-293.

u stimuli L. W. Chance orders of altJprn:ltin3

in visual discrimination experiments. J. peek Ps&oZ., 1933, 42, 20&208. KENDLER, T. S., AND KENDLER, H. H. Reversal and nonreversal shifts in kindergarten children. J. eq~. Psychol., 19.59, 85, 56-60. $kEPP, B. E., AND &MA?,, I?. D. Intradimrnsional and extradimensional shifts in the rat. J, camp. phgsioZ. Psyckol., 1964, 57. 357-361. SEEPP, B. E., ANII TURRISI, F. D. Learning and transfer of mediating responses in discriminative learning. In N. R. Ellis (Ed.), Jnternufiond reGw o./ rcseurch in mental, wturdution. Vol. 2. Kew York: d%cademic Press, 1966. Pp. 85-121. T., MD SJ~BERG, W. A comparison of ,SMITH, J., ANDERSON, V., CUNSIXGHAM, allditory and visual discrimination learning in retardates. Amer. -1. ment. Defic., 1967 (in press). TRABASSO- T., DEUTSCH, J. A., AND GIX~XAS, R, (\ttmtion in disrrimin:~Con lmrning of children. J. eq. child Psgckd., 1966, 4, g-19. W.~I,I<, R. D. Tactual and visual learning of fnrm7 differing in dfsgrc?s of syrnrnctv. Psvchonom. Sci., 1965, 2, 9%94. ZEAMAN, D., AND HOUSE, B. J. The role of attention in retardate tliscrimination learning. In N. R. Ellis (Ed.) Handbook of ,mc~foZ rkfick~r~/. Yew York: McGrawHill, 1963. GELLERMANN,