Delayed reinforcement: an experimental study in an urban school

Abstract

"The establishment of confidence in the imputation of any casual relationship between events requires repetition of research and the relating of findings to other research. Argyle, Michael. The Scientific Study of Social Behaviour. London, Methuen, 1959. A recent study of a cultural observation has indicated a differential preference for smaller immediate reinforcement versus larger, delayed reinforcement. Mischel, Walter. "Preference For Delayed Reinforcement: An Experimental Study of a Cultural Observation." J. Abnorm. soc. Psychol., 1958, 56, 57-61. Mischel has tested (statistically) a relationship between two ethnic groups and he uses as a criterion the selection of smaller, immediate versus larger, delayed reinforcement. He finds that the selection of reinforcement is related to an ability to delay a response. His experiment refers only to the physical presence of the father in the home and he states, "before this relationship between presence of the father and preference for delayed reinforcement can be generalised, it will be necessary to test other cultural groups in similar situations.”