The role of verbal behavior in human learning: II. Developmental differences

Area of Science:

• Behavioral psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Comparative psychology

Background:

• Operant conditioning principles are well-established in animal behavior.
• Human operant performance, particularly in children, is less understood regarding developmental influences.
• Fixed-interval schedules are commonly used to study response patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how fixed-interval schedules affect operant behavior across different human age groups.
• To compare human infant and child operant performance with established animal behavior patterns.
• To explore the role of verbal behavior development in shaping human operant performance.

Main Methods:

• Children across four age ranges (preverbal infants, 2.5-4 years, 5-6.5 years, 7.5-9 years) operated a response device.
• Reinforcers were delivered based on fixed-interval schedules (10-70 seconds).
• Response patterns, postreinforcement pause duration, and response rates were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Infant behavior mirrored animal patterns (postreinforcement pause, accelerated responding).
• Older children (5-9 years) displayed human adult patterns (low or high rate).
• Younger children (2.5-4 years) showed mixed patterns, differing from both infants and older children.

Conclusions:

• Development of verbal behavior appears to significantly alter human operant performance.
• Differences in human and animal learning may be largely attributable to the emergence of verbal behavior.
• Schedule sensitivity in operant tasks is present in preverbal infants but diminishes with age and verbal development.