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The analysis of behavioral momentum
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|January 1, 1983
Summary
Learned behavior
Area of Science:
- Behavioral psychology
- Animal behavior
- Operant conditioning
Background:
- Learned behaviors differ in their persistence.
- Resistance to change is a key aspect of behavioral momentum.
- Behavioral momentum can be understood using principles analogous to classical physics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the concept of behavioral momentum.
- To analyze behavioral mass and velocity in pigeons.
- To determine how reinforcement rates influence resistance to change.
Main Methods:
- Pigeons were trained on multiple variable-interval schedules.
- Resistance to change was measured using extinction and response-independent food delivery.
- Behavioral mass was inferred from response rate changes under altered conditions.
Main Results:
- Data converged to a single function, allowing estimation of behavioral mass ratios.
- The ratio of behavioral masses was found to be a power function of reinforcement rate ratios.
- Behavioral mass can be measured on a ratio scale.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral momentum provides a framework for understanding learned behavior persistence.
- Reinforcement rate is a critical determinant of behavioral mass.
- Behavioral mass is quantifiable and predictable.
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