Induced attack during multiple fixed-ratio, variable-ratio schedules of reinforcement

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Animal Behavior
• Operant Conditioning

Background:

• Induced aggression in pigeons has been studied using various reinforcement schedules.
• Understanding the relationship between reinforcement schedules and aggressive behavior is crucial for behavioral analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate induced attack behavior in pigeons under a multiple schedule of reinforcement.
• To compare attack levels under fixed-ratio (FR) and variable-ratio (VR) schedules.
• To examine how varying response requirements influence attack behavior.

Main Methods:

• Pigeons were exposed to a multiple schedule with FR and VR components.
• Key-peck response requirements were progressively increased from 50 to 125 responses.
• Live target pigeons were used, and attack behaviors were automatically recorded and measured.

Main Results:

• Higher levels of attack behavior were consistently observed during the FR component compared to the VR component.
• Most attack measures increased with higher FR values for both pigeons.
• Attack measures generally increased with higher VR values for one pigeon, while the other showed a more complex pattern.

Conclusions:

• Reinforcement schedule parameters significantly influence induced attack behavior in pigeons.
• Fixed-ratio schedules appear to elicit higher levels of induced attack than variable-ratio schedules.
• Further research should explore a broader range of schedule parameters and inter-measure relationships in induced attack studies.