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Published on: January 22, 2016
Reinforcement contingencies as discriminative stimuli
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|March 1, 1975
Summary
This study shows that behavior-stimulus relations can be learned through reinforcement. Participants accurately matched stimuli based on differential reinforcement of low-rate and differential reinforcement of other behavior schedules.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral psychology
- Operant conditioning
- Stimulus control
Background:
- Understanding how organisms learn to discriminate between different situations is crucial in behavioral science.
- Reinforcement schedules play a key role in shaping behavior and establishing stimulus control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the discriminative properties of two reinforcement schedules: differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate (DRL) and differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior (DRO).
- To examine how delays between behavior and reinforcement affect stimulus discrimination.
Main Methods:
- A matching paradigm was employed using two distinct keys, each illuminated with a unique color.
- Participants responded based on either DRL or DRO schedules, where the correct choice was determined by the met contingency.
- Stimulus reversals were conducted to assess the robustness of the learned discrimination.
Main Results:
- High accuracy (80-100%) in matching was achieved and maintained across stimulus reversals.
- Introducing a delay between the reinforcement contingency and the choice stimuli led to performance decrements.
- These decrements were comparable to those observed with other types of sample stimuli.
Conclusions:
- The findings provide evidence for the discriminative properties of the relationship between behavior and various classes of stimuli.
- Reinforcement contingencies effectively establish stimulus control, enabling organisms to differentiate between conditions.
- The study highlights the impact of temporal factors on the acquisition and maintenance of stimulus discrimination.
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