Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Timeout as a reinforcer for errors in a serial position task.

W H Redd, M Sidman, F G Fletcher

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

|January 1, 1974

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Fixed-interval and fixed-ratio reinforcement schedules with human subjects.

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2012

Same author

An instance of spurious equivalence relations.

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2012

Same author

Avoidance at columbia.

The Behavior analyst·2012

Same author

Tactics: In reply.

The Behavior analyst·2012

Same author

Barriers to mental health service use among hematopoietic SCT survivors.

Bone marrow transplantation·2009

Same author

Equivalence relations.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2006

Same journal

The Genoeconomics of Impulsive Intertemporal Choice: A Critical Review.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026

Same journal

Shaping the extinction burst: Increasing its probability and preventing its emergence across topographies.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026

Same journal

Evaluating the combined effects of effort and probability on monetary discounting.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026

Same journal

An improved translational approach to studying persistence-strengthening effects of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026

Same journal

Interactions between the effects of food and water motivating operations on concurrent food- and water-reinforced responding in mice.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026

Same journal

Odor-visual and visual-visual matching to sample with dogs.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026

See all related articles

Monkeys trained on key-press sequences developed persistent errors, repeatedly pressing the wrong key first, even when correct choices were signaled. Eliminating consequences for these errors led to response cessation, indicating a strong learned avoidance behavior.

Area of Science:

Behavioral neuroscience
Animal learning theory
Primate cognition

Background:

Understanding learned behaviors and error patterns in animals is crucial for cognitive research.
Monkeys trained on serial position tasks can exhibit complex error behaviors under specific reinforcement conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the development and nature of stereotyped errors in monkeys during serial learning.
To examine the role of reinforcement schedules and error consequences in shaping animal behavior.

Main Methods:

Monkeys were trained on a predetermined key-press serial position sequence.
Timeouts were implemented as consequences for errors.
Error patterns, including first-member errors, were systematically observed and analyzed.

Related Experiment Videos

Manipulations included altering timeout contingencies and introducing prefeeding or reduced reinforcement density.

Main Results:

Monkeys developed stereotyped first-member errors, consistently pressing an incorrect key at the start of trials.
These errors persisted even when correct choices were visually indicated.
Removing the timeout consequence for first-member errors led to the adoption of other error types that did incur timeouts.
When all errors ceased producing timeouts, monkeys stopped responding altogether.
Prefeeding and reduced reinforcement density shifted the occurrence of stereotyped errors to earlier in training sessions.

Conclusions:

Learned sequences can be disrupted by strong, persistent error-based learning, particularly when errors are consistently punished.
The data suggest that the avoidance of negative consequences (timeouts) can drive behavioral choices, even leading to response cessation.
Reinforcement schedules and motivational states significantly influence the emergence and timing of learned error behaviors.