The Generalization Effects of Satiation Upon the Effectiveness of Visual Reinforcers

The generalization effects of satiation upon the effectiveness of visual reinforcers were examined in relation to both a similar as well as a dissimilar visual reinforcer. A 100% agreement was found with five children and adults selected as judges in classifying the visual stimuli as similar or dissimilar. After the visual stimuli had been shown to be effective reinforcers in a testing period, a male experimenter exposed each child to experimental sessions involving seven different phases. The major finding of the study was the reliable and consistent occurrence of satiation with the visual reinforcers presented to the children. A baseline along with an analysis of each visual reinforcers effectiveness in relation to previous phases satiation revealed that the generalization of satiation to similar and dissimilar reinforcers did occur. The study concluded that the experiment disclosed adequate results to justify further investigation