幼兒の條件反應形成速度 -智能, 體格, 及び神經型との關係

抄録

1. Purpose: The aim of this experiment is to investigate the speed of conditioning in children, its relation to their intelligence, physique and neural types.
2. Procedure: We modified F. Mateer's experimental procedure in some points. We used the method of placing an opaque water-glass over the eyes of the child just before food was placed in his mouth. The opaque water-glass came to serve as the conditioned stimulus, eventually evoking mouth opening and swallowing movements before the food was presented. The movements were recorded on the poly-graph (myograph) from tambours fastened under the chin and on the throst, and number of mouth openings were counted by experimenter.
An opaque water-glass to serve as the conditioned stimulus was kept over each eye for 20 seconds. In the eleventh second the child was fed a bit of HERSHEY chocolate (1g), or cider candy (0.7g) and the opaque water-glass was removed at the end of the twentieth second. Then the child was allowed to see pictures-books, and to talk freely with experimenter. Three-minutes interval was used, and I reinforced ten times on the first day. When more repetition were needed the procedure was continued at twenty four hour intervals until the desired result was obtained. 24 hours later the second process was carried out. This was memorial functioning of the association. As soon as the associate functioning was re-established in the child, the third process was begun. This is the experimental extinction. And the fourth process was studied, immediately after a three-minutes interval had elapsed after the completion of the extinction. This is the test of reassociation.
The subjects used in this experiment were 17 kindergarten children, and 2 elementary school pupils. The range of their ages were 64-84 months, and I.Q. were 65-127.
3. Results: 1. The conditioned response in children was established by using a bit of chocolate or cider candy as unconditioned stimulus, and conditioned stimulus was to cover the eyes with an opaque wate-glass.
2. The formation of a conditioned response requires from 2 to 9 trails (in case of mouth opening as the index of conditioned response), from 2 to 16 (in case of swallowing as the index of conditioned response).
3. The range of number of trials needed to develop a response after 24 hours is 1-8 (mouth opening), 1-13 (swallowing).
4. The number of trials needed for developing the experimental extinction ranged from 2-6 (both mouth opening and swallowing), the number or trials being greater for the boys than girls.
5. The re-establishment of the conditioned response requires 2-3 (mouth opening), 2-5 (swallowing).
6. The following correlations between the speed of conditioning, chronological age, I.Q. height, weight and great of the chest were found.
a. Chronological; (mouth opening) +0.0170
(swallowing) -0.1045
b. I.Q. (Binet test rsvised by Suzuki);
(mouth opening) -0.4682
(swallowing) -0.1060
c. The Otomo's mental test;
(mouth opening) -0.3735
(swallowing) +0.1065
d. Height, standing; (mouth opening) -0.5625
(swallowing) -0.2389
d. Weight; (mouth opening) -0.5024
(swallowing) -0.3281
f. Great of the chest;
(mouth opening) -0.3448
(swallowing) -0.1500
7. The correlations between conditioning and retention (after 24 hours) was +0.3555 (mouth opening), +0.7349 (swallowing). And correlations between conditioning and experimental extinction was -0.387 (mouth opening), -0.3021 (swallowing).
8. There are marked sex differences, more of the boys developing the conditioning rapidly, more of the girls requiring a greater number of trials. And the number of trials needed for developing experimental extinction is smaller for the girls than for the boys.
9. We found that there was positive relation between the speed of conditioning and temperament, so called neural type. But more extensive studies must be conducted in order to confirm this point.