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The one-trial learning controversy and its aftermath: remembering Rock (1957)
Henry L Roediger1, Kathleen M Arnold
1Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA. roediger@wustl.edu
The American Journal of Psychology
|July 11, 2012
Summary
Rock's 1957 experiments challenged gradual learning theories. He found that verbal learning occurred in an all-or-none fashion, not incrementally, a finding initially met with resistance.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Learning and Memory
- History of Psychology
Background:
- In 1957, Irvin Rock's publication in the American Journal of Psychology sparked a significant debate in the field of verbal learning.
- Existing theories predominantly assumed a gradualist view of memory trace strengthening.
- Rock's research proposed an alternative perspective on how associations are formed and learned.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-examine Irvin Rock's (1957) influential paired-associate learning experiments.
- To analyze the controversy ignited by Rock's findings and their impact on verbal learning theories.
- To discuss the subsequent research by Estes (1960) and the establishment's reaction to these all-or-none learning propositions.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of a control group with a constant list against an experimental group where forgotten pairs were replaced with new ones on each trial.
- Both groups learned paired associates to a criterion of one perfect trial.
- Analysis of the number of trials required to reach the learning criterion in both experimental conditions.
Main Results:
- Rock surprisingly found no difference in the number of trials to reach criterion between the control and experimental groups.
- This suggested that learning might occur in an all-or-none fashion rather than through gradual increments.
- Estes (1960) independently published research supporting similar all-or-none learning conclusions.
Conclusions:
- Rock's and Estes's all-or-none learning hypotheses challenged the prevailing gradualist assumptions in verbal learning.
- The scientific establishment largely dismissed these findings, particularly Rock's work, with significant ferocity.
- The fundamental question regarding the nature of association learning remains unresolved, despite the historical debate.
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