ISSN 0439-755X
CN 11-1911/B

›› 1957, Vol. 1 ›› Issue (00): 14-30.

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AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE INTERACTION OF THE FIRST AND SECOND SIGNAL SYSTEMS

WOO CHIANG LIN ET AL   

  • Received:1900-01-01 Revised:1900-01-01 Published:1957-01-01 Online:1957-01-01

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate how temporary connection is transmitted from the first signal system to the second signal system and vice versa. 147 school children, aged 8-10, were used as subjects. The experiment was conducted by the method of verbal reinforcement which was devised by Prof. A. G. IvanovSmolensky and standardized by the present writers. The pressing movement of the subject upon the responding apparatus was used as the indicator of the occurence of the phenomenon called selective generalization.The experiment was divided into 3 parts (experiments with single stimulus, differential stimuli and complex stimuli), each of which was subdivided into 2 sections. In the first section, 24 subjects were engaged in the experiment of dynamic transmission from the first to the second signal system, and subsequently in the experiment of transmission from the second to the first signal system. Conversely, in the second section, another 24 subjects started with the experiment of transmission from the second to the first signal system and ended with the experiment of transmission from the first to the second signal system.It was fouud that in the first sections of all parts of the experiment, the percentage of cases in which the phenomenon of "selective generalization" occurred ranged from 75. 0% to 88. 9% and that in all the second sections, the percentage ranged from 66. 7% to 83. 3%. Further analysis of the verbal reports of the subjects after the experiments indicated that in the process of experimentation the subjects, including those in whom "selective generalization" failed to occur, formulated a certain "principle of responding" (i. e. verbal system) which regulated their mode of response to a given experimental situation.The writers are in favor of the theoretical viewpoint of Prof. A. R. Luria in explaining the phenomena of dynamic transmission of temporary connections from the first to the second signal system and vice versa.