An Exploratory Evaluation of a Discriminative Transfer Learning Program Using Literal Prompts
Julian I. Taber, Robert A. Glaser · The Journal of Educational Research · 1962
THIS ARTICLE describes a short learning pro gram which exemplifies what seems to be a general program type. The program is intended as an il lustration of one approach to programming when the behavior to be learned involves discrimination training. A learning program or a part of a pro gram is usually designed to carry out specific be havioral processes, e. g. , acquisition of a response or discrimination of stimuli. Most available pro grams consist of a rather difficult to describe com bination of such basic behavioral processes. For the purpose of research in programming, it seems fruitful to isolate the separate functions of pro grammed sequences so that they can be subjected to individual study and so that the several functions can be most efficiently combined. Investigations of this kind, i. e., the study of programming techniques relevant to particular learning processes, are required for the transla tion of behavioral principles into instructional pro cedures. Program writing will be improved to the extent that the program writer can use a working knowledge of the behavioral principles involved. This paper is an attempt to show how one such basic principle, discrimination training, was applied in a rather pure form to the construction of a pro gram. The application of the discriminative training paradigm to human learning programs rests on simple assumptions and permits a clear specifica tion of the procedure to be followed. In bringing a bout discriminative control, it is simply required that the desired response be elicited in the presence of the stimulus which is to acquire discriminative properties, and that reinforcement be contingent upon such an occurrence. It must be assumed at the beginning of discrimination training that the re sponse over which control is sought exists at some strength in the repertoire of the organism. If the response is weak or improbable, it can be elicited in the presence of the discriminative stimulus by presenting, in addition, some stimulus which pre