PUNCHED CARD PROGRAMMING AND RECORDING TECHNIQUES EMPLOYED IN THE AUTOMATION OF THE WATA.

A system of punched card programming and recording of primate discrimination learning experiments is described to illustrate the application of these techniques to the automation of the discrete trial learning situation, allowing for punched card recording and subsequent digital computer data analyses without intermediate data reduction. The system was also designed to control several potential sources of variability inherent in the conventional WGTA testing mode, including 1) the subject's (S's) motivation to test on each trial, 2) S's attention to the stimuli, and 3) the rate of trial presentation so as to be more under S's control. Reliable techniques of punched card programming and recording are detailed.