Date of Award

1971

Degree Name

Psychology

College

College of Liberal Arts

Type of Degree

M.A.

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

It is a well established principle that reinforcement must quickly follow a response for learning to occur. The detrimental effects on learning of delays in reinforcement of 1-10 seconds have been repeatedly demonstrated during the past fifty years (Renner, 1964). When secondary reinforcement and mediating cues are eliminated, the delay of reinforcement gradient indicates little learning after delays of five seconds. Delay of punishment gradients parallel those obtained with positive reinforcement.

Subject(s)

Reinforcement learning.

Feedback control systems.

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