Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Transitional choice behavior in concurrent-chain schedules.

J E. Mazur1, N Blake, C McManus

  • 1Psychology Department, Southern Connecticut State University, 06515, New Haven, CT, USA

Behavioural Processes
|May 4, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Impact of housing system on intestinal microbiota of laying hens - A systematic review.

Research in veterinary science·2024
Same author

Presentations at the UK National Immunisation Conference.

Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics·2022
Same author

East Sussex Nursery Transformation Programme (2015-2020): embedding a best practice approach to healthy food in early years settings.

Perspectives in public health·2022
Same author

The spectrum of orofacial clefts and treatment logistics at Universitas Academic Hospital, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

South African journal of surgery. Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir chirurgie·2021
Same author

Origin and population structure of Brazilian hair sheep breeds.

Animal genetics·2021
Same author

Bilateral internal carotid artery occlusion with compensatory perfusion in a HIV-infected patient.

South African journal of surgery. Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir chirurgie·2020
Same journal

Shining a light on jellyfish behaviour: Enhanced motor activity and positive phototaxis in Aurelia coerulea.

Behavioural processes·2026
Same journal

Detour-task performance in color polymorphic male mosquitofish.

Behavioural processes·2026
Same journal

Behavioral and physiological changes during the estrous cycle of socially housed female guinea pigs.

Behavioural processes·2026
Same journal

Flexible time-series analysis: A dynamically aware method for inferring directed dependencies in behavioral data.

Behavioural processes·2026
Same journal

Effects of group size and landmarks on escape behavior of three fish species.

Behavioural processes·2026
Same journal

Vocal individuality in two sympatric seabird species: The role of developmental strategy, analytical approach and sample size.

Behavioural processes·2026
See all related articles

Pigeons adjusted choice behavior faster when reinforcement amounts changed than when reinforcement timing changed. This suggests reinforcement value, not just timing, drives rapid behavioral adaptation in choice tasks.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral science
  • Animal behavior studies
  • Operant conditioning research

Background:

  • Understanding choice behavior is crucial in behavioral economics and psychology.
  • Concurrent-chain procedures with variable-interval schedules help model complex decision-making.
  • Investigating factors influencing rapid behavioral adaptation is key to understanding learning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine how pigeons adjust choice responses under different reinforcement schedules.
  • To compare the speed of choice changes when reinforcement delays versus percentages are altered.
  • To analyze the impact of reinforcer predictability on the rate of behavioral change.

Main Methods:

  • Four pigeons were studied using a concurrent-chain procedure.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Terminal links involved fixed delays to reinforcement, with conditions manipulating delay differences or reinforcement percentage switches.
  • Choice proportions and response sequences were analyzed following changes in reinforcement conditions.

    • Main Results:

    • Choice proportions shifted more rapidly following changes in reinforcement percentages than after switches in terminal-link delays.
    • Individual reinforcer effects persisted longer under changing percentage conditions compared to changing delay conditions.
    • Behavioral changes were slow and gradual, even with sudden shifts in reinforcer delays, challenging predictability limitations.

    Conclusions:

    • Reinforcement value (percentage) appears to be a more potent driver of rapid choice adjustment than reinforcement timing (delay).
    • The discriminability of a condition change does not solely predict the speed of behavioral adaptation.
    • Pigeon choice behavior demonstrates gradual adaptation, irrespective of the schedule's inherent unpredictability or sudden delay alterations.