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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Automated, Quantitative Cognitive/Behavioral Screening of Mice: For Genetics, Pharmacology, Animal Cognition and Undergraduate Instruction

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Published on: February 27, 2014

Concurrent schedules: reinforcer magnitude effects.

Jason Landon¹, Michael Davison, Douglas Elliffe

¹Department of Psychology, The University of Auckland, New Zealand. j.landon@auckland.ac.nz

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

|August 12, 2003

Summary

Pigeons

Area of Science:

Behavioral science
Animal behavior studies
Operant conditioning research

Background:

Reinforcement schedules influence animal choices.
Understanding choice behavior is crucial in behavioral science.
Previous studies utilized the generalized matching law.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the effects of reinforcer magnitude on choice behavior in pigeons.
To analyze both molar and local control of preference by reinforcement variables.
To compare the influence of reinforcer magnitude versus frequency on choice.

Main Methods:

Pigeons were trained on concurrent variable-interval schedules.
Reinforcer magnitude ratios were systematically varied across conditions.

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Behavioral data were analyzed using the generalized matching law and local analyses.

Main Results:

Molar preference aligned with the generalized matching law.
Recent reinforcers, especially the most recent, influenced current choice.
Larger reinforcers produced longer-lasting preference shifts.

Conclusions:

Reinforcer magnitude and frequency exert similar control over choice behavior.
Choice behavior is influenced by both immediate and delayed reinforcement effects.
Sensitivity to reinforcer magnitude and frequency depends on pulse characteristics.