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The generality of selective observing.

Scott T Gaynor1, Richard L Shull

  • 1Western Michigan University and University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA. scott.gaynor@wmich.edu

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|April 9, 2002
PubMed
Summary
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Rats learned to selectively press a lever to see a light signaling food rewards, avoiding a light that signaled no reward. This demonstrates rats can control their exposure to different reinforcement schedules.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Animal Cognition
  • Operant Conditioning

Background:

  • Rats were trained to obtain food rewards through key poking and lever pressing.
  • Reinforcement schedules for key poking alternated between rich and lean conditions.
  • A lever press acted as an observing response, illuminating the key with a stimulus indicating the prevailing schedule.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if rats exhibit selective observing behavior.
  • To determine if rats would control their exposure to rich versus lean reinforcement schedules.
  • To extend understanding of conditioned reinforcement and selective observing.

Main Methods:

  • Rats' lever pressing (observing responses) were recorded.
  • Stimulus presentations (steady light S+ for rich, blinking light S- for lean) were contingent on lever presses.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Response rates during different stimulus conditions were analyzed.

    • Main Results:

    • Rats showed selective observing, quickly making observing responses after S+ and pausing after S-.
    • Observing response rates remained high when lever presses produced rewards during S+ only.
    • Observing rates decreased significantly when lever presses were effective only during S- or had no effect.

    Conclusions:

    • Rats demonstrate a selective observing pattern, controlling their exposure to different reinforcement schedules.
    • Findings support relativistic theories of conditioned reinforcement.
    • Selective observing is generalizable to procedures with controlled stimulus durations and intermittent reinforcement.