On conditioned reinforcing effects of negative discriminative stimuli

Observing responses by pigeons were studied during sessions in which a food key and an observing key were available continuously. A variable-interval schedule and extinction alternated randomly on the food key. In one condition, food-key pecking during extinction decreased reinforcement frequency during the next variable-interval component, and in the other condition such pecking did not affect reinforcement frequency. Observing responses either changed both keylight colors from white to green (S+) or to red (S-) depending on the condition on the food key, or the observing responses never produced the S+ but produced the S- when extinction was in effect on the food key. Observing responses that produced only S- were maintained only when food-key pecking during extinction decreased reinforcement frequency in the subsequent variable-interval component. The red light conformed to conventional definitions of a negative discriminative stimulus, rendering results counter to previous findings that production of S- alone does not maintain observing. Rather than offering support for an informational account of conditioned reinforcement, the results are discussed in terms of a molar analysis to account for how stimuli acquire response-maintaining properties.