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DISINHIBITION AND THE REMINISCENCE EFFECT IN A MOTOR LEARNING TASK
Author(s) -
RACHMAN S.
Publication year - 1962
Publication title -
british journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.536
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8295
pISSN - 0007-1269
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1962.tb00821.x
Subject(s) - psychology , disinhibition , stimulus (psychology) , reminiscence , stimulus control , developmental psychology , audiology , cognitive psychology , neuroscience , medicine , nicotine
This study was designed to investigate the operation of disinhibition in humans. Two groups of subjects were made to perform a motor learning task (pursuit rotor). The subjects in the experimental group were presented with a brief disinhibiting, alien stimulus during their 5 min. practice period. It was predicted that the introduction of this alien stimulus would produce an augmentation of performance level and a reduction in the reminiscence effect. Both predictions received partial confirmation and the results are interpreted in terms of Pavlov's description of inhibition and Eysenck's account of the development and dissipation of reactive inhibition. In an attempt to clarify some aspects of the results, a second experiment was carried out. Four groups of ten subjects each were given the same pursuit rotor task to complete. Group A acted as a control, group B was presented with an alien stimulus early in the 5 min. practice period, group C late in the practice period and group D very late in the practice period. In addition to clarifying some of the earlier results this experiment showed that the effect of an alien stimulus on performance is most marked when it is introduced late in the practice period.