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Related Experiment Videos

Effects of response-allocation constraints on multiple-schedule performance.

M Davison, L Charman

    Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
    |January 1, 1987
    PubMed
    Summary

    This study on pigeon behavior shows that response rates in multiple schedules depend on reinforcer rates, not just the number of responses. This finding holds true regardless of how often schedule components change.

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    Area of Science:

    • Behavioral Psychology
    • Animal Behavior
    • Operant Conditioning

    Background:

    • Multiple schedules of reinforcement are used to study response allocation.
    • Previous research often uses fixed time or duration constraints for component alternation.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate how response-number constraints affect performance in multiple schedules.
    • To compare performance under response-number constraints versus duration constraints.
    • To determine the controlling variables for response rates in multiple schedules.

    Main Methods:

    • Four pigeons were trained on multiple variable-interval schedules.
    • Component alternation was controlled by a fixed number of responses (10, 20, or 40).
    • Component reinforcer rates were systematically varied across conditions.

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    Main Results:

    • Response rates decreased as the number of responses required for component change increased.
    • The relationship between response-rate and reinforcer-rate ratios was consistent across different response-number constraints.
    • Performance under response-number constraints mirrored that under duration constraints.

    Conclusions:

    • Multiple-schedule performance is similar whether components alternate based on responses or time.
    • Response rates are primarily controlled by component reinforcer rates, not by maximizing or ameliorating overall rates.