Construct ‘Reactive Inhibition’ in the Interpretation of Age Changes in Performance

WE have become interested in the possibility of extending the theory of ageing by interpreting age changes in performance within the framework of general behaviour theory. It seems to us that the Hullian concept of ‘reactive inhibition’1 might be particularly useful in this respect in that the assumption that reactive inhibition is generated more rapidly and dissipated more slowly as the age of an organism increases is compatible with many of the accepted changes which occur with age, and leads to predictions regarding changes which as yet have not been observed.