Intermittent reinforcement of an interresponse time

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Operant Conditioning
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Traditional operant conditioning often focuses on responses rather than the time between them.
• Understanding interresponse times (IRTs) is crucial for a comprehensive analysis of behavior.
• Previous research has not fully explored how specific reinforcement schedules shape IRTs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how different reinforcement schedules affect the emission rate and temporal distribution of specific interresponse times (1.0- to 2.0-sec).
• To determine if interresponse times function as other operant behaviors under schedule control.
• To explore the implications of these findings for the analysis of conventional reinforcement schedules.

Main Methods:

• Rats were exposed to experimental conditions where reinforcement was contingent on emitting interresponse times within a specific duration (1.0- to 2.0-sec).
• The rate of emission and the temporal distribution of these targeted interresponse times were systematically recorded.
• Various reinforcement contingencies linking interresponse time emission to reinforcement were examined.

Main Results:

• Both the rate at which rats emitted the 1.0- to 2.0-sec interresponse times and their temporal distribution were significantly altered by the reinforcement schedule.
• Different reinforcement contingencies resulted in distinct patterns of interresponse time emission and timing.
• The observed variability indicates that interresponse times are sensitive to schedule-controlled reinforcement.

Conclusions:

• Interresponse times (IRTs) behave as other operant behaviors, demonstrating sensitivity to reinforcement contingencies.
• This suggests that IRTs can be effectively analyzed using principles of differential reinforcement.
• The findings have significant implications for refining the analysis of conventional reinforcement schedules by incorporating IRT dynamics.