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VARIABLES DETERMINING THE EFFECTS OF DELAY IN REINFORCEMENT
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|July 1, 1965
Summary
Researchers found ways to maintain consistent performance with long delays in reinforcement by adjusting delay length, food amount, and fixed-ratio size. These methods also supported complex response chains without gradual delay increases.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Operant Conditioning
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Delayed reinforcement poses challenges in maintaining consistent behavioral performance.
- Previous research often required complex procedures or gradual adjustments to manage long reinforcement delays.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discover procedures for maintaining fixed-ratio performance under a 24-hour delay of reinforcement.
- To investigate if these parameters could establish explicit response chains.
- To determine if gradual delay increases were necessary for achieving stable performance.
Main Methods:
- Manipulation of delay length, amount of food reinforcement, and fixed-ratio size.
- Application of discovered parameters to establish response chains.
- Comparison of performance with and without gradual delay increases.
Main Results:
- Successfully maintained fixed-ratio performance despite a 24-hour delay in reinforcement.
- Identified specific parameter manipulations (delay, food amount, ratio size) crucial for this effect.
- Demonstrated that these parameters could establish explicit response chains and did not require gradual delay increases.
Conclusions:
- Effective procedures exist for maintaining consistent performance under significant reinforcement delays.
- Parameter manipulation offers a direct method for managing delayed reinforcement effects.
- Complex behavioral chains can be established with delayed reinforcement without incremental delay adjustments.