Delayed Reward,Delay-Box Confinement,and Instrumental Performance: A within-Type Design

Abstract

Three experiments were done on delayed reinforcement and extinction using a within-group design in training. Entering one alley of a Grice discrimination apparatus led to immediate reward, while entering the other led to 40-sec. delays either on 50% of the trials (Exps. I and II) or on 100% of the trials (Exp. III). Half of Ss were extinguished in the non-delay alley, half in the delay alley. Half of Ss in each extinction group were extinguished without delay-box confinement, half with 40-sec. delay-box confinement on 50% of the trials (Exps. I and II) or 100% of the trials (Exp. III). In all three experiments Ss learned to discriminate between the delay and non-delay alleys. In Exp. I Ss ran significantly faster in extinction in the non-delay alley. The same trend was evident in Exps. II and III. Thus, the results were in the opposite direction to those which have been found in between-group studies. In Exp. III Ss with 100% delay-box confinement in extinction ran slower (.10 > p > .05) than Ss without confinement.

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