Abstract
Forty-eight adults learned intradimensional (ID) or extradimensional (ED) shifts in a total change paradigm under one of two conditions of dimensional dominance and one of two conditions of irrelevant dimension variability. Results showed a significant dominance main effect in initial training and significant Dominance by Shift and Variability by Shift interactions in shift training. When shifts were to a high-dominant dimension, there was no appreciable difference between ID and ED shifts. When shifts were to a low-dominant dimension, ID shift was easier than ED shift. The ID shift was learned faster than the ED shift when irrelevant dimensions in shift varied within trials. No reliable difference was found between ID and ED shifts when irrelevant dimensions varied between trials. These results support Esposito’s (1975b) conclusion that the same principles guide shift behavior in children and adults.
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This research was supported by a junior fellowship to the lust author from the University of Nigeria. The research was submitted as part of a MA thesis carried out by the first author and supervised by the second author. J. O. C. Ozioko is now at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
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Ozioko, J.O.C., May, R.B. Dimensional dominance and adult shift learning. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 9, 314–316 (1977). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03337009
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03337009