PURSUIT ROTOR PERFORMANCE: II. EFFECTS OF REINFORCING SUCCESSIVELY LONGER INTERVALS OF CONTINUOUS TRACKING OVER PRACTICE SESSIONS.

The objective was to determine whether pursuit rotor performance would be facilitated, and the level of achievement sustained, with the use of the reinforcement technique of shaping. The procedure used in this study was progressively lengthening, from session to session, the continuous target contact required to obtain a reinforcement, keeping the duration requirement constant within each session. Two groups of four subjects each practiced under the experimental conditions for ten 15-trial sessions. Reinforcement was provided during Sessions 2-7. Half of the experimental subjects improved appreciably during the reinforced practice. When reinforcement was withdrawn, the differences between the mean performance levels of the experimental subjects and a control group of eight subjects, who practiced without any reinforcement, were negligible.