Date of Award

8-1989

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Chris Koronakos

Second Advisor

Dr. Paul Mountjoy

Third Advisor

Dr. Mal Robertson

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Computer-based interresponse time (IRT) and matching-to-sample (MTS) procedures were employed in two experiments to assess and effect changes in temporal discriminations made by adults with a history of traumatic brain injury. The results of Experiment One support the interpretation that maintaining correct IRT > t performance was a function of stimulus conditions that included signalled IRTs, values of t less than 3-seconds, a contract agreement to maintain performance, and other contingencies not explicitly part of the design. The results of Experiment Two, that minimal response latencies on MTS tasks are mediated equally well by an experimenter's verbal prompting as well as by computer-generated temporal reinforcement contingencies, supports the interpretation that subjects with TBI history can be trained to reduce their reaction times by using contingency specifying verbal instructions which alter the function of computer-generated stimuli as discriminative stimuli, or as stimulus reinforcers.

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Psychology Commons

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