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Fixed-interval matching-to-sample: intermatching time and intermatching error runs
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|January 1, 1978
Summary
Pigeons on a fixed interval schedule preferred matching-to-sample responses after longer delays. Reinforcement influenced recent, but not all, responses during the fixed interval.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral psychology
- Animal cognition
- Operant conditioning
Background:
- Matching-to-sample tasks assess cognitive abilities in animals.
- Fixed interval and tandem schedules influence response patterns.
- Understanding reinforcement effects on behavior is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate pigeon behavior under fixed interval (FI) and tandem fixed-interval fixed-ratio (TFI-FR) schedules.
- To analyze the impact of reinforcement on matching-to-sample responses.
- To determine how response history affects accuracy and rate.
Main Methods:
- Four pigeons were trained on a matching-to-sample task.
- Responses were reinforced under FI and TFI-FR schedules with a minimum 80-second delay.
- Response distributions were analyzed for matches and error runs.
Main Results:
- The FI schedule preferentially reinforced matches ending longer intermatching times and error runs.
- Matching accuracy and response rate were influenced by reinforcement history.
- Behavioral control varied across the interval, not uniformly.
Conclusions:
- Reinforcement timing significantly impacts response selection in matching-to-sample tasks.
- Pigeons adjust their behavior based on the schedule of reinforcement.
- The study highlights the nuanced control of behavior by reinforcement history.