Two-choice discrimination learning in children as a function of punishment modality and reinforcement combination

Abstract

In an effort to replicate and extend a previous finding that there are no differences between reinforcement and punishment in discrimination learning with children, 160 third grade boys were run on a two-choice discrimination learning task which compared the effects of punishment presented in the same and in different sensory modalities as the reinforcement. The training conditions were reinforcement (token) for correct choices, punishment (tone or response cost) for incorrect choices, and reinforcement-punishment combinations (token-tone or token-response cost) for correct and incorrect choices respectively. The major finding was that punishment presented in the same sensory modality as the reinforcement was superior to punishment presented in a different sensory modality from the reinforcement.