Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Reinforcement history: a concept underutilized in behavior analysts

K Salzinger1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11550, USA.

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
|September 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

Forgetting rates depend on learning levels, not learning speed. Behavior analysis offers superior methods for studying learning and forgetting compared to cognitive psychology.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The verbal operant: Cause and/or effect.

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2012
Same author

Definitions and usage, or a rose by any other name smells as sweet.

The Behavior analyst·2012
Same author

A theory-based treatment of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia: treatment successes and obstacles to implementation.

The Journal of genetic psychology·1998
Same author

Sitzfleisch 2: the Platzgeist and cognitive environmental psychology.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·1994
Same author

Connections: a search for bridges between behavior and the nervous system.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·1992
Same author

Cognitive therapy: a misunderstanding of B. F. Skinner.

Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry·1992

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Underwood (1964) observed forgetting rates correlate with learning levels, not learning speed.
  • The Erlenmeyer flask analogy illustrates how learning level, like surface area, impacts forgetting.
  • Historical approaches to learning and forgetting are often oversimplified.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critique the neglect of historical reinforcement and behavior analytic concepts.
  • To argue for behavior analysis's capacity to study learning and forgetting more effectively.
  • To reclaim the study of learning and forgetting within behavior analysis.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of learning and forgetting theories.
  • Historical review of psychological approaches to learning.
  • Comparison of behavior analytic and cognitive psychology methodologies.

Main Results:

  • Learning rate does not determine forgetting rate; learning level is the key factor.
  • Oversimplified models of learning neglect crucial behavioral principles.
  • Cognitive psychology has inadequately addressed conditioning principles in learning and forgetting.

Conclusions:

  • Behavior analysis provides a more robust framework for understanding learning and forgetting.
  • Neglecting behavior analytic concepts has led to a loss of territory to cognitive psychology.
  • A renewed focus on conditioning history is essential for advancing the study of learning and forgetting.

Related Experiment Videos