1. the presumption that effective discrimination learning or problem resolution stems from an advanced, step-by-step, ongoing process of experimentation. Reactions which turn out to be unsuccessful are ceased. On the other hand, any strengthened reaction results in an advancement in associative endurance, thereby yielding the slow but ongoing elevation of the learning curve. Problem resolution is developed as a gradual learning procedure wherein the accurate answer is found, repeated, and strengthened. 2. the assertion that psychological procedures of numerous types occur either in small measures or continually, instead of in spurts from one recognizable phase to another.
CONTINUITY HYPOTHESIS: “The continuity hypothesis is observed in most children as being accurate, but does not ring true for many with disruptive or neglect-filled childhoods.”