Facilitation and inhibition of original responses to figural and verbal stimuli

Abstract

This research investigated the effects of secondary reinforcement, secondary reinforcement plus instruction, and punishment on the acquisition, inhibition and generalization of four measures of originality. Ninety students enrolled in introductory psychology classes at Blinn College were randomly assigned to five treatment groups and one control group. Members of the first treatment group received reinforcement for original drawing produced on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, Form B, Activity Two. Those in the second treatment group received reinforcement plus instruction to produce original drawings. Members of the third treatment group received the same number of secondary reinforcers as did members of the first treatment group, but both original and nonoriginal responses were reinforced. The nonoriginal drawings produced by members of the fourth treatment group were reinforced. Members of the fifth treatment group were punished for each original response. All participants were then administered the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, Figural Form A, Activity Two and Activity One, and the Busse, Mansfield and Messinger Unusual Uses Test. Using the .05 level of significance, group differences in the production of original behavior during treatment were significant. Group differences in the production of original responses to a similar task were also significant, indicating generalization between similar tasks. No other group differences were significant. Generalization between dissimilar tasks was not indicated. The use of a Fisher's LSD indicated that the effects of punishment were greater during treatment than were any of the other conditions, but punishment during treatment did not influence behavior on subsequent dissimilar tasks.