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Cued and uncued terminal links in concurrent-chains schedules
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|November 1, 1994
Summary
Pigeons showed less preference for shorter initial schedules when terminal cues were absent. Terminal-link cues appear to reduce sensitivity to initial schedule differences in pigeons.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral psychology
- Animal cognition
- Operant conditioning
Background:
- Concurrent-chains schedules are used to study choice behavior.
- Terminal-link cues can influence choice, but their precise role is debated.
- Previous research suggests cues enhance sensitivity to terminal-link differences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of terminal-link cues in concurrent-chains schedules.
- To examine how cues affect sensitivity to initial-link and terminal-link schedules.
- To test predictions from conditioned-reinforcement and discriminative-stimulus theories.
Main Methods:
- Pigeons were trained on a concurrent-chains schedule with variable-interval initial links and fixed-interval terminal links.
- Cued conditions used distinct center-key colors for terminal schedules; uncued conditions used a single color.
- Experiment 1: unequal initial links, equal terminal links. Experiment 2: equal initial links, unequal terminal links.
Main Results:
- In Experiment 1 (unequal initial links), preference for the shorter initial link was higher in uncued conditions.
- In Experiment 2 (unequal terminal links), preference for the shorter terminal link was higher in cued conditions, replicating prior work.
- Results from Experiment 1 challenge existing cue theories and suggest cues decrease sensitivity to initial-link contingencies.
Conclusions:
- Terminal-link cues may not always enhance sensitivity to schedule differences.
- Cues can decrease sensitivity to initial-link contingencies, particularly when initial links vary.
- Findings necessitate a re-evaluation of how discriminative stimuli and conditioned reinforcement influence choice behavior.
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