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

Molecular contingencies: reinforcement probability.

J M Hale, C P Shimp

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

|November 1, 1975

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

Advantages of Intensive Dental Courses.

The Dental register·2021

Same author

Linear responses.

Behavioural processes·2014

Same author

A Study of the pH Stability of Vaccinia Virus.

The Yale journal of biology and medicine·2011

Same author

Rapidly progressive coal workers' pneumoconiosis in the United States: geographic clustering and other factors.

Occupational and environmental medicine·2005

Same author

Supraventricular tachycardia complicating the use of prostaglandin vaginal gel for induction of labour.

International journal of obstetric anesthesia·2004

Same author

Pulmonary inflammation and crystalline silica in respirable coal mine dust: dose-response.

Journal of biosciences·2003

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

Pigeons in a probability-learning experiment deviated from matching, showing a tendency to maximize reinforcement. This behavior aligns with molecular analyses of operant conditioning, challenging molar theories.

Area of Science:

Behavioral psychology
Operant conditioning
Animal cognition

Background:

Pigeons were studied in a discrete-trials two-choice probability-learning experiment.
The experiment utilized temporal stimuli, with reinforcement probabilities linked to preceding time intervals.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate pigeon behavior in a probability-learning task using temporal stimuli.
To compare findings with previous studies using visual stimuli and assess theoretical implications.

Main Methods:

Pigeons made left or right key pecks, each associated with 11 reinforcement probabilities.
Reinforcement probability was a function of the time interval preceding the choice.
Temporal stimuli ranged from 1 to 11 seconds.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

Pigeon choices tended to deviate from probability matching towards maximizing reinforcement.
The percentage of choices for the preferred alternative exceeded its reinforcement probability.
Results were qualitatively consistent with visual-stimuli probability-learning experiments.

Conclusions:

The findings support a molecular analysis of operant behavior.
The results challenge molar theories that disregard local variations in reinforcement probability.