Another look at contrast in multiple schedules.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Animal Behavior
• Learning Theory

Background:

• Multiple schedule interactions are complex phenomena in behavioral psychology.
• Existing theories, such as additivity theory, struggle to fully explain contrast effects.
• The role of reinforcement context in behavior control requires further clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent research on multiple schedule interactions.
• To evaluate current theoretical formulations of schedule interactions.
• To propose an alternative conception for understanding reinforcement context effects.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on multiple schedule interactions.
• Analysis of theoretical models including additivity theory, Catania's "inhibition by reinforcement," and Gibbon's scalar-expectancy theory.
• Examination of recent empirical evidence on temporal asymmetry in schedule interactions.

Main Results:

• The relative rate of reinforcement is identified as the primary controlling variable, not reducible to stimulus-reinforcer or response-reinforcer effects.
• Current theoretical models face significant counterevidence.
• Catania's "inhibition by reinforcement" offers a potential alternative, linking response rate inversely to average reinforcement rate.
• Recent evidence highlights temporal asymmetry in schedule interactions, dependent on post-component reinforcement.

Conclusions:

• Existing theories of schedule interactions are inadequate.
• The "context of reinforcement" is crucial, but Herrnstein's formulation is insufficient.
• Catania's "inhibition by reinforcement" and related concepts may offer a unified principle for diverse conditioning phenomena, though empirical validation is ongoing.
• Temporal asymmetry in reinforcement conditions is a key factor influencing schedule interactions.