Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026
11:17
Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear
Published on: August 24, 2012
Responding maintained under fixed-interval and fixed-time schedules of electric shock presentation
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|November 1, 1978
Summary
Squirrel monkeys
Area of Science:
- Behavioral neuroscience
- Animal behavior studies
Background:
- Operant conditioning principles
- Schedules of reinforcement
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate lever pressing in squirrel monkeys under electric shock schedules
- Compare fixed-interval and fixed-time shock schedules
Main Methods:
- Squirrel monkeys trained on electric shock postponement
- Lever pressing maintained under fixed-interval and fixed-time shock schedules
- Schedules presented singly and in multiple schedules
Main Results:
- Fixed-interval schedules maintained higher response rates than fixed-time schedules when presented singly
- No difference in response rate or pattern when schedules were components of a multiple schedule
- Consistent response pattern: initial pause followed by steady or accelerating response rate
Conclusions:
- Response-shock dependency is crucial for high response rates under shock schedules
- Lever pressing under shock schedules aligns with operant behavior principles
- Findings support parallels between shock and positive reinforcement schedules
Related Concept Videos
01:22Muscle Stimulation Frequency
The contraction strength of muscles is regulated by motor neurons, which modulate the frequency of action potentials dispatched to the motor units based on the body's requirements. This process of varying the muscle stimulation frequency allows muscles to contract with a force that is precisely tailored to the needs of the moment, whether lifting a feather or a heavy box.
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
01:14Design Example: Frog Muscle Response
A student is tasked to work on an intriguing experiment involving an RL (Resistor-Inductor) circuit to study the muscle response of a frog's leg to electrical stimulation. The RL circuit plays a crucial role in this experiment, providing the means to control and measure the electrical impulses that trigger muscle contraction.
When the switch connecting the RL circuit is closed, a brief muscle contraction is observed. This is because, at a steady state, the inductor acts like a short circuit,...
When the switch connecting the RL circuit is closed, a brief muscle contraction is observed. This is because, at a steady state, the inductor acts like a short circuit,...
01:24Reinforcement Schedules
Positive reinforcement is a powerful method for teaching new behaviors to both animals and humans. B.F. Skinner demonstrated this with his experiments using rats in a Skinner box. When a rat pressed a lever, it received a food pellet. This immediate reward encouraged the rat to repeat the behavior. This method, where a reward follows every instance of the behavior, is known as continuous reinforcement. It is highly effective for establishing new behaviors quickly.
Once a behavior is learned,...
Once a behavior is learned,...