Two experiments were conducted using a discrimination reversal task in human beings with the aim of exploring the effects of time and context upon retrieval of a discrimination (S: C1+, C2-) that had been previously reversed (S: C1-, C2+). In Experiment 1, a 48-hr retention interval after reversal training led to spontaneous recovery of the original discrimination during the test. In Experiment 2, changing the context between reversal training and testing led to renewal of the original discrimination, independently of whether the context change involved returning to the acquisition context (121 renewal) or going to a different context (112 renewal). These results are in agreement with the predictions of Bouton's retrieval theory (Bouton, 1993).
Espinoza et al. (Wed,) studied this question.