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The principal components of response strength
1Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe 85287-1104, USA. killeen@asu.edu
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|June 8, 2001
Summary
Response strength, encompassing rate, latency, probability, and persistence, was analyzed in pigeons. Overall response rate effectively predicted this latent variable, confirming Skinner's (1938) concept.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral psychology
- Animal behavior studies
Background:
- Response strength, as defined by Skinner (1938), encompasses multiple static properties of a reflex.
- Understanding the interrelationships between these properties is crucial for behavioral analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the interrelations between different measures of response strength.
- To validate a latent variable model of response strength using pigeons' key pecking behavior.
Main Methods:
- Pigeons' key pecking was subjected to probabilistic reinforcement, satiation, and extinction procedures.
- Variable-interval, variable-ratio, and fixed-interval reinforcement schedules were employed.
- Principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analyses were used to model response strength.
Main Results:
- Principal components analysis identified a single latent variable, termed 'strength', that described the response properties.
- Confirmatory factor analyses validated this latent variable model.
- Overall response rate emerged as a strong predictor of the latent response strength variable.
Conclusions:
- The study provides empirical support for a unified concept of response strength in behavioral psychology.
- Overall response rate is a reliable indicator of underlying response strength.
- The findings align with and extend Skinner's (1938) foundational descriptions of behavior.
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