scholarly journals EFFECTS OF PERCENT REINFORCEMENT ON PIGEON'S ACCURACY IN MIDSESSION REVERSAL TASKS [University of Kentucky]

Author(s):  
Daniel Peng ◽  
Dalton House ◽  
Thomas R. Zentall

This experiment tests the effects of a reducing the value of one stimulus compared to another. We hypothesize that in a midsession reversal task, accuracy would improve by devaluing choice of S2 relative to S1. A midsession reversal task requires a simultaneous discrimination between 2 stimuli (S1, S2), during which, halfway through the session the reinforcing stimulus is reversed. A current theory, win-stay/lose-shift, is a strategy for optimal choices in this task. In this strategy, an animal would continue to repeat choice of a correct stimulus, but once the stimulus becomes incorrect, the animal should switch to the other stimulus. In this experiment, ten unsexed White Carneau pigeons were used as subjects. The experiment took place in an operant test chamber. Inside, three horizontally aligned circular response keys are attached to a response panel. The keys are lit by mounted projectors showing red and green hues. Reinforcement consisted of 1.5 seconds of access to mixed-grain from a feeder. In the experimental group, all correct responses to S1 were reinforced but only a random 20% of the correct responses to S2 were reinforced. Our findings suggest that paradoxically, the reduction in the probability of reinforcement for correct S2 responses from 100% to 20% had a net positive effect on correct responses. There was a significant reduction in errors prior to the feedback from the reversal as well as no increase in errors following the feedback from the reversal. Analysis of the trials on either side of the reversal made it clear that there was a net benefit in percentage correct due to the decrease in the probability of reinforcement associated with correct responses to S2. This study suggests the negative impacts of too much reinforcement on subjects performance in a task.

Author(s):  
E. L. Kuznetsova ◽  
L. A. Dultsev ◽  
E. V. Safin

Goal of research - the study aims to examine the osteopathic profi le of children with dysarthria and to develop recommendations for osteopathic correction of somatic dysfunctions in 2-3 year old children presenting this pathology.Materials and methods. 30 2-3 year old children with the symptoms of dysarthria took part in the research. All the children were divided into 2 groups: the control group of 15 children received standard treatment, and the experimental group of 15 children received both standard and osteopathic treatment. The dysarthria severity and the osteopathic profi le were evaluated with account of the number of somatic dysfunctions at global, regional, and local levels.Results. The osteopathic correction was shown to have a positive effect on dysarthria severity. The study established a correlation between the dysarthria severity in children and the number of somatic dysfunctions at the local level.Conclusion. The study suggests using osteopathic correction of somatic dysfunctions in the complex therapy of dysarthria in children.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-95
Author(s):  
Daniele Artoni ◽  
Valentina Benigni ◽  
Elena Nuzzo

Over the last three decades, a growing number of studies have investigated the effects of instruction on the acquisition of pragmatic features in L2. The bulk of this research has focused mainly on the teaching of English as a second/foreign language. However, instructional pragmatic studies in L2-Russian are lacking. The main purpose of our study is to contribute towards filling this gap by analysing the effects of pragmatic instruction on the acquisition of two speech acts by Italian learners of Russian. Furthermore, we aim to explore whether the Multimodal Russian Corpus (MURCO), a multimedia subcorpus of the Russian National Corpus, can be an effective tool for teaching speech acts in L2-Russian. Our research was composed of one experimental group (n = 18) and one control group (n = 11); each was composed of two intact classes of Italian university students at an intermediate level of L2-Russian, who were pre- and post-tested using a written discourse completion task. The experimental group was subjected to a programme of pragmatic instruction – eight thirty-minute MURCO-based lessons devoted to requests and advice, while the control group was taught according to the standard syllabus, that is, with no pragmatic instruction. The results revealed that the use of the target pragmatic features varied significantly in the experimental group, but not in the control group, thus showing a general positive effect of the instructional treatment based on the MURCO corpus. However, some limitations were identified with regard to the usability of this tool by teachers and learners.


2021 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-213
Author(s):  
Christoph Von Blumröder

The term "Neue Musik" was coined for a special concept of fundamental musical innovation within Austro-German music theory of the early 20th century, and it found no terminological equivalent beyond the German language. Established by Paul Bekker with his lecture “Neue Musik” in 1919, composers such as Stockhausen or Ligeti embraced the term with its emphatic claim to innovation and new departures. However, one hundred years on the term "Neue Musik" is often used mainly as a synonym for any type of contemporary music. This article questions whether the term "Neue Musik" is still an appropriate framework for a current theory of musical composition. Not only have the specific musical circumstances changed within the course of the 20th century, but also the political and social conditions have altered drastically after two world wars which had given special impulses to those composers who strove for a new foundation of music after 1918 and 1945 respectively. This article argues that the age of "Neue Musik" has come to an end in the late 20th century, and thus it is now necessary to introduce alternative terminological concepts and methodical directions for music historiography.


2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-127
Author(s):  
Luboš Zábranský ◽  
Miloslav Šoch ◽  
Pavel Novák ◽  
Jan Brouček ◽  
Anna Šimková ◽  
...  

Abstract the aim of our study was to evaluate influence of probiotic agents (Lactovita) and seaweed extracts (Biopolym) with antidiarrheal effects on the prevention of diarrhoea in calves. In the experiment 22 experimental and 22 control calves were observed. The results of the observed incidence of diarrhoea in the control and experimental groups showed a positive effect of probiotic Lactovita and seaweed extracts Biopolymer. 32% of calves in the experimental group and 45% of calves in the control group became sick. Unfortunately, we could not demonstrate the statistical significance of these differences. The weight gains found in the 4th week after birth were by 37.6% higher in the group with Lactovita and Biopolym than in the control group.


1960 ◽  
Vol 198 (5) ◽  
pp. 955-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay D. Coffman ◽  
D. E. Gregg

Thirty-three anesthetized dogs of varying weights were subjected to complete asphyxia by tracheal occlusion to produce uniform anoxia of the heart. Eleven showed electrocardiographic evidence of ventricular fibrillation while the other twenty-two demonstrated cardiac arrest. The development of ventricular fibrillation correlated with the heavier body and heart weights and with a lower average right atrial serum potassium level as compared to the dogs not fibrillating. Other serum electrolytes, pH, body temperature and sex showed no correlation with the arrhythmia. The importance of the fact that large dogs have a greater susceptibility to develop ventricular fibrillation during uniform anoxia of the heart is discussed in relation to experimental research on dogs and to a current theory of the cause of ventricular fibrillation.


2020 ◽  
pp. 55-56
Author(s):  
Olga Nikolaevna Polozyuk ◽  
Evgeniy Sergeevich Polozyuk

The results of studies on the effectiveness of use in the diets of pregnant and sucking sows probiotic based on bacteria Bacillus strains bacillus B. subtillus and B. amyloliquefaciens are presented. The use of the probiotic had a positive effect on the reproductive qualities of sows, which allowed increasing the milkiness of sows of the experimental group by  24.1% compared to the analogues of the control group. The comprehensive indicator of reproductive qualities of breeding sows of the experimental group were higher than in the control by 16.8 points. The weight of the piglet's nest at weaning was 18.7 kg more than in the control group. The safety of piglets in the control group was 86.9%, and in the experimental group it increased to 92.9%.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Ghadah Fahad Alzaidi

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of memory strategies (MSs)in improving students' ability to recall and spell newly learned vocabulary items. The researcheronly considered three types of MSs: grouping, placing new words in to a context and structuredreviewing. In addition, the study used a questionnaire that explored students' attitudes towardsMSs in general, and towards the specific MSs that they have been trained to use, as well as therelationship between MSs and motivation and between MSs and anxiety. intact groups (63 students in total) were selected from level three of the College of Languages and Translation (COLT) at King Saud University (KSU), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two groups were assigned to the experimental group (36 students) and the control group(27students). The control group received traditional instruction that depended on the textbook without any MS training, whereas the experimental group received a combination of traditional instruction and MS training. A pre- and post-test were administered to both groups before and after the experiment to examine students' ability to recall the meaning of vocabulary items and their ability to spell them correctly. The experiment lasted for fourteen weeks through which the participants received seven MS training sessions. The study found out that MS training was effective in improving students' ability to recall the meaning of vocabulary items when needed and their ability to spell them correctly. Moreover, the results showed that the subjects of the experimental group showed positive attitude towards MSs and most of them agreed on the positive effect that MSs had on raising their motivation and reducing their anxiety while learning vocabulary.


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