Studies of Children's Probability Learning Behavior: I. Effect of Reward and Punishment at Two Age Levels1

Abstract

Thirty fourth-grade and 30 kindergarten children were presented with a 75%/o-25% probability learning task. Marbles were given for correct responses and were removed for incorrect responses. The reward-punishment combinations were 0-0, 1-1, and 3-3. The 1-1 and 3-3 groups chose the more frequent event more often than the 0-0 group. The difference between the 1-1 and 3-3 groups in percentage choice of the more frequent event was not statistically significant. Although there were no age differences in probability matching, a measure of intratask behavior revealed age differences consistent with Inhelder and Piaget's stages of logical thinking.