The Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology
Online ISSN : 2186-3075
Print ISSN : 0021-5015
ISSN-L : 0021-5015
Volume 20, Issue 3
Displaying 1-7 of 7 articles from this issue
  • Masami Kajita
    1972 Volume 20 Issue 3 Pages 137-146
    Published: September 30, 1972
    Released on J-STAGE: February 19, 2013
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Most of the recent studies concerned with mediation in shift learning have utilized one common core concept, that is, dimension, regardless of the various meanings attached to mediational processes. For Kendlers, mediating events arr assumed to be coordinated to introspective reports, language behavior, muscular movement, and other observable events. Especially they emphasized the importance of verbal processes in human concept learning and then the mediating mechanism has been referred to the representational responses associated with a relevant stimulus dimension. Hence judging from the fact that the locus of mediation is attributed to a stimulus dimension, Kendlers' formulation would be categorized as a dimensional mediation theory.
    Nevertheless, as some investigators stated before, dimensional theory could not cover the findings that even unrelated stimuli serve to rapid reversals. Therefore this paper is an attempt at introducing the mathematical set theory to discrimination shift learning and thereby providing an al. ternative model in this field to develop the concept of mediation. Two fundamental hypotheses were proposed as follows;
    1) Human adults could attend to the stimulus set connected with reward and its complementary set, and then utilize the mutually exclusive rule between these sets through responding to stimuli.
    2) Infants and young children may forcus on only the dominant stimulus set associated with reinforcement and pay no attension to the other stimuli.
    In order to affirm the first of these basic hypotheses within the reversal-nonreversal framework, two working hypotheses were made for the experiment as follows;
    (1) The reversal shift (RS) task could be attained more easily than the nonreversal shift (NRS) task or the control (C) task, for under the RS condition the same stimulus sets hold throughout learnings.
    (2) There would be no difference in learning between the NRS task and the C task, for under the either tasks the stimulus sets must be changed independently.
    Figure-1 illustrated the basic diagrams of this experiment, which consisted of two paired-associate learning sessions analogous to the shift experiment. Thirty college students were employed as Ss. The stimuli were Japanese nonsense bigrams and responses single digit numbers. The standard pairedassociate learning procedures were used. After completion of learning, Ss were questioned what sort of learning strategies they took. This information was used to classify the learning types Ss followed (TABLE-6).
    Results were as follows;
    1) Working hypotheses were significantly confirmed (TABLE-4, -5).
    2) Classification of learning types Ss took showed that mediational learners (SR type) attained the paired-associete task more easily than other non-mediational learners (ER type and S-R type)(TABLE-7,-8).
    In conclusion, considering the above findings, this experiment confirmed not only the working hypotheses but also the first of the fundamental hypotheses.
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  • Michihiko Matsuda, Fumiko Matsuda
    1972 Volume 20 Issue 3 Pages 147-154
    Published: September 30, 1972
    Released on J-STAGE: February 19, 2013
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This experiment was designed to examine the effects of verbal reinforcement combinations on three-alternative learning in infants by the analysis of error factors and to compare those with the results in children with those we had already published.
    The Ss saw in front of them a series of cards each consisting of three figures arranged horizontally. The shapes of figures were circle, triangle and square at random, each of which was painted randomly red, green or yellow. The Ss were asked to choose a figure in each card which they thought correct and to push the button in front of this figure. One of three colors was designed as correct value randomly for each S. We set 9 trials as one block and the criterion of learning as the state of all correct responses in a block. The Ss were reinforced until reaching the criterion in one of three combinations of verbal reinforcement, that is, RW, RN and NIX. After the acquisition, 10 blocks were continued with out any reinforcement.
    The learning process of each S was analyzed into error factors shown in TABLE 1 during 10 blocks of acqisition.
    The results were as folows:
    1. Numbers of unsuccessful subjects, numbers of blocks to the criterion of learning, and rates of error responses during 10 blocks showed that the verbal reinforcement combination RW was the most effective, and that the verbal reinforcement combination NW was inferior to RW to same degree with RN.
    2. The error factor analysis made clear that the alternation with respect to position was the strongest error factor, and that those error factors, that is, the alternation with respect to color, the Lose-stay-win-shift with respect to shape, and the Win-stay-lose-shift with respect to position interfered with the learning in some degree.
    These findings in infants showed the same tendency with those in children and the differences between infants and children are quantitatively. The facts form a contrast with the case of two alternative discrimination learning, where findings in infants was rather contrary to those in children.
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  • Learning of German Words Using English Words as Standard
    Keiko Kuhara
    1972 Volume 20 Issue 3 Pages 155-161
    Published: September 30, 1972
    Released on J-STAGE: February 19, 2013
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The present study aimed at investigating the effect of verbal presentation of a ‘weak’ transformation rule on verbatim memory task performance. A weak rule means a rule that is incomprehensive (referring only to limited aspect(s) of information to be learned), ambiguous (allowing multiple correspondence), and/or having exceptions. Logically, even a weak rule can partly reduce the memory load of the learner.
    Three lists of Japanese-German word pairs were constructed (See TABLE 1). They have 6, 28 and 9 pairs, respectively. Over these three lists, there is specific correspondence in consonants between the German words and their English counterparts, but no such correspondence in vowels and endings. Regularities of consonant correspondence can be represented in terms of 6 rules (TABLE 3) with slight ambiguity and few exceptions.
    Four groups of university students were presented and tested on List 1 and then List 2, given 1 a _??_minute interpolated memory task followed by a retention test of List 2, and finally tested on unlearned List 3 (TABLE 2).
    Procedures were different among the groups only in timing of presenting and explaining the 6 rules. Group A was given them just prior to the first presentation of List 2, Group B between the second and third (final) presentation, and Group C after the final presentation. They were allowed to keep a copy of the rules for reference up to the retention test of List 2. Group D was not presented the rules.
    The findings were as follows:
    1) Verbal presentation of the rules inhibited learning; Groups A and B were inferior to C and D in recall and recognition tests after the third presentation.(TABLE 4)
    2) Giving rules just before testing improved performance; Group C excelled D.
    3) Learning under the rules facilitates generalization; Groups A and B outperformed C and D in the test of List 3.
    4) Performances before and after the interpolated memory task (including test) remained nearly unchanged in all groups.
    5) Analysis of errors suggests that those ignorant of the rules tended to make errors non-conforming to them, but fewer errors in vowels and/or endings alone.(TABLE 5)
    6) Findings 1) and 5) combined show the advantage gained by awareness of the rules was more or less outweighed by overconformity to them and neglect of non-rule aspects.
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  • Tsuguyo Hayakaya
    1972 Volume 20 Issue 3 Pages 162-169
    Published: September 30, 1972
    Released on J-STAGE: February 19, 2013
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Young children tend to behave egoistic as a result of egocentrism. Some studies indicate when a child was told to divide tokens between himself and his partner, the number of which is odd, the younger the child was, the more likely he got more to himself. This study is planned to explore the effects of equitabel and inequitable situations upon young children's (5-yr-old) tendencies to share with others. Inequity results in tension which promote the individual to attempt to restore equity. Children (Ss) played a question game with a partner (P, same sex, same age) in which they received rewardtokens that were worth valuable prizes. In the low group the S received less rewards than P. In the equal group each received the same number of rewards. In the high group S received more rewards than P. When the first game is over, the number of reward-tokens is counted by the experimenter. Then S and P play the second game (block-building). Here S is offered the opportunity to share a preset number of rewards with P after each trial. There are eight trials. From the theory of inequity, it is expected that S in the low group distributes to himself more than the partner, S in high group less, S in equal group same. Predictions from inequity theory obtained partial support. Children in low group rewarded themselves generously to restore the equity, but it was not enough to cover the inequity. Most children in equal group divide the tokens equally to retain the equity. Some children in the high group rewarded themselves less than the partner expected from the prediction. The others rewarded as many as the partner and retained the superiority given by the experimenter at the first game.
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  • Hiroe Kawagishi
    1972 Volume 20 Issue 3 Pages 170-178
    Published: September 30, 1972
    Released on J-STAGE: February 19, 2013
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The object of this study is to solve outstanding problems related to “acceptance”. That is to say,
    1. To obtain a scale for measuring “acceptance” and to scrutinize the method of measuring “acceptance”.
    2. To clarify the interrelation between “self-acceptance” and “acceptance of others” on the same scale and then to find out the interdependence between these two factors and “adjustment”.
    Subjects are all college students; 60 male students and 81 female students.
    Part I
    Procedure:(1) Collect and assort adjectives by which each subject describes himself (or herself) and then acquire the rating of social desirability which each word has in itself.
    (2) There are 3 kinds of measures available as a method of measuring “acceptance”, namely, social acceptance score (which shows how applicable socially desirable words are to each subject), self-satisfaction score (which shows the degree to which subjects are satisfied with themselves) and private acceptance score (which shows the degree how each subject conforms to the frame of preference which he or she individually holds). In each case, proceed examining the interdependence of each measure by using the same scale.
    Result:(1) Prepared is the “acceptance scale” that is contrived out by 141 adjectives and obtaineb is a scale value in social desirability which each adjective has.
    (2) There is the high correlation between these 3 kinds of measures. Especially, the social acceptance is found to be of critical importance as a basis to determine an affirmative attitude.
    Part II
    Procedure:(1) In order to determine the degree of “acceptance of others”, just pick up one couple a male subject and a female subject who have not met before each other, and fix the rating by using the prepared scale and then obtain the interrelation between each measure of “self-acceptance” and “acceptance of others”.
    (2) Give these subjects a “YG test” first to clarify the relation of these two phases of “acceptance” with “adjustment”. Then, make out 4 groups obtained by assorting “self-acceptance”, high and low, and “acceptance of others”, high and low. Next, examine distinguishing marks of each group based on the results obtained by the “YG test”.
    Result:(1) When examining the correlation between “self-acceptance” and “acceptance of others”, there is a significant interrelation with the marks obtained in “self-acceptance” and “acceptance of others” scores when a subject views others of the same sex, but no relation observable when viewing the opposite sex. Here now, this testifies to the very difference by sex. Particularly, in the case of female subjects, they have the stronger tendency of reflecting their self-concept in rating others than male subject do.
    (2) In regard to “adjustment”, those who have a high self-acceptance score show higher adjustability and those who have a low self-acceptance score show lower adjustability, regardless of the marks obtained in “acceptance of others”. It is impossible to recognize characteristics of the group that is supposed to assume a defensive attitude. A critical problem left toward the future will be, I presume, to further consideration for understanding “adjustment” by scrutinizing, one by one, response results for each item contained in the “acceptance scale”.
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  • [in Japanese], [in Japanese], [in Japanese]
    1972 Volume 20 Issue 3 Pages 179-183
    Published: September 30, 1972
    Released on J-STAGE: February 19, 2013
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
  • [in Japanese]
    1972 Volume 20 Issue 3 Pages 184-189
    Published: September 30, 1972
    Released on J-STAGE: February 19, 2013
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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