Abstract
We applied our model of error factors to analyze of process of three-alternative discrimination learning in normal and mentally retarded children and to clarify differences in response patterns among five reinforcement combinations, RW, RNw, NrW, RN and NW Fig. 1 and Matsuda & Matsuda, 1969 Actual error factors in the learni ng are shown in Table 1, and a sample of analysis and calculation of rates of appearance of error factors is shown in Table 2.
The results were as follows:
1. There were few subjects who showed error factor I 1 or I 3. The number of subjects who showed error factor I 2 were a little more than the expectation, but the rate of its appearance went down to the level of the rate of error responses within 2 or 3 blocks (see Table 4, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3). Therefore it seems that error factor I has little effect on performance of this learning.
2. In all groups, error factor II 1 was stronger than II'1 and error factor II 3 was stronger than II'3. The rates of appearance of II 1 or II 3decreased relatively smoothly in all groups, but in III 1 or 3 the rates of appearance under NW and NrW did not decrease smoothly and were significantly higher than those under the others (see Fig. 4, Table 5, and Table 9). Error factor II and II', which do not relate to right or wrong of responses, may be strong when subjects can't sufficiently discern right or wrong of their responses or cannot fully use information which oright or wrong of their responses have. Therefore these findings suggest that the information by W which is thought to be smaller than by R is scarcely used because. using this small information may be too difficult for the subjects. In this respect, we can understand that the fact that the acquirement of negative reinforcement value of N is difficult especially in mentally retarded children (see results of extinction in Matsuda & Matsuda, 1969) has little effect on the performance of this learning.
3. Especially under RW, NrW and NW in mentally retarded children and under RW, RNw and NrW in normal children, in which subjects might be able to discern right and wrong of their responses (see results of extinction in Matsuda & Matsuda, 1969) error factor III 3 was stronger than III'3 (see Fig. 5, Table 6, and Table 10). Therefore in respect of these error factors which never appear if subjects do not know right and wrong of their responses, it is probable that being able to easily acquire the reinforcement value of N affects rather negatively the performance of this learning
4. It seems that error factor II 2, II'2, III2 and III'3 which relate to shape of the stimulus figures were not so important as the others (see Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Table 5, Table 6, Table 9, and Table 10).
5. Stereotypical response patterns were observed more often in mentally retarded children than in normal children (see Table 7 and Table 8). Presumably this is one of the reasons why learning curves with rates of error responses in mentally retarded children were positively acclelated see Matsuda & Matsuda, 1969.
