Effect of visual dimensions on discriminative learning and contingency analysis by children

Abstract

In a previous study (Hernández-Pozo, 1988) differential roles played by three dimensional aspects of visual stimuli were detected in the context of children's conceptual learning using color, shape and number. The aim of this study was to explore the influence that five dimensional properties of stimuli exert over children's conceptual behavior, when they are defined as critical for a task, by means of an within subject design. Five fifth grade elementary school children, with similar scores in a paper and pencil relational test, were trained in a computerized discrimination procedure. Five succesive programs were used in which a given property of a complex stimulus was defined as the discriminative stimulus within a given session. The complex stimulus had color, shape, number, position and size properties, each one with two values. The order of administration of the computer programs subjects received, followed a latin square design. Children received from 10 to 200 trials under each program according to performance; the criterion for learning were ten consecutive correct responses. Feedback was scheduled after each trial. Regardless of their performance at the end of each session subjects were asked to describe what they thought was the way to gain points. Results showed differences of performance related to particular dimensions: children scored higher with number and position regardless of the sequence of exposure. Subjects required the highest number of trials when shape was the discriminative stimulus. Performance in general improved by the fifth program. In regard to latencies, no significant differences were found in association to particular dimensions; latencies decreased as number of trials increased. Differential results in correct responses suggest the existence of dimensional dependent levels of abstraction among children. The presence of sudden changes in the latencies, previous to trains of correct responses was associated to rule-governed behavior.