Some effects of interreinforcement time upon choice.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Animal Cognition
• Operant Conditioning

Background:

• Concurrent schedules of reinforcement are fundamental to understanding choice behavior.
• Chain schedules involve sequential links, influencing response patterns and reinforcement delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate pigeon choice behavior under novel concurrent chain schedules.
• To determine if pigeons are sensitive to momentary reinforcement likelihoods in concurrent chains.
• To analyze how chaining affects choice proportions compared to relative reinforcement rates.

Main Methods:

• Pigeons were exposed to two identical, concurrently available chain variable-interval-schedules.
• A modified concurrent chains procedure allowed both initial and terminal links to be operative simultaneously.
• Three conditions of concurrency were examined: initial links, initial and terminal links, and terminal links.

Main Results:

• Pigeons showed sensitivity to momentary reinforcement likelihoods, favoring schedules with higher immediate reinforcement probability.
• Relative rates of responding did not directly match relative rates of reinforcement across conditions.
• Choice proportions were intermediate between scheduled and obtained reinforcement rates, except in terminal link concurrency where overmatching occurred.

Conclusions:

• Organismal choice is influenced by factors beyond simple interreinforcement intervals, especially in chained sequences.
• The chaining operation itself can substantially alter and reduce overall schedule choice.
• Momentary reinforcement probability plays a significant role in decision-making within concurrent schedules.