Reinforcement of behavioral patterns: shaping a scallop

Area of Science:

• Behavioral science
• Animal behavior studies
• Operant conditioning research

Background:

• Traditional fixed-interval schedules often show variability in response patterns.
• Understanding how complex temporal patterns are learned is crucial in behavioral science.
• Pigeon key pecking is a standard model for studying operant conditioning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate a novel reinforcement schedule for shaping temporal patterns in pigeon key pecking.
• To compare the effectiveness of this new schedule against a standard fixed-interval schedule.
• To explore the concept of reinforcing entire behavioral patterns as single operants.

Main Methods:

• Pigeons were trained on a schedule where food delivery was contingent on conforming to a specific temporal pattern of key pecking within a 5-second trial.
• This pattern approximated a constant rate of change in pecking frequency.
• Behavior was compared to that maintained by a classical fixed-interval 5-second schedule.

Main Results:

• The novel schedule produced a better approximation of the target temporal "scallop" pattern within trials.
• This schedule significantly reduced variability in behavior across different pigeons.
• Behavioral patterns, not just terminal responses, were effectively shaped by the reinforcement contingency.

Conclusions:

• Reinforcement delivered after a behavioral pattern can strengthen the entire pattern as a unit.
• The specific topography of responses immediately preceding reinforcement may be less critical than the overall pattern.
• Mean response rate can be a byproduct of strengthened patterns and may not always reflect fundamental controlling relationships.