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Transfer of persistence across behaviors
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Learning and Memory
|September 1, 1979
Summary
Prior effort training enhances persistence in humans. Studies show that requiring more work for rewards increases subsequent effort in new tasks, suggesting learned persistence from accumulated effort.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Animal studies suggest reinforcement schedules influence subsequent effort.
- Human applicability of these findings requires investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if prior effort for reinforcement affects subsequent effort in humans.
- To explore mechanisms behind learned persistence.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Adult psychiatric patients performed a sorting task after varied prior reinforcement schedules.
- Experiment 2: Learning-disabled students engaged in tasks after varying effort requirements for reward tokens.
Main Results:
- Increased prior effort led to greater subsequent time spent and work completed in both experiments.
- Findings support the idea that accustomed effort per reinforcer influences behavior.
Conclusions:
- Accumulated effort training in natural environments may contribute to individual differences in general persistence.
- Results suggest effortful training can enhance sustained engagement in new tasks.