Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 22, 2026

An Operant Intra-/Extra-dimensional Set-shift Task for Mice
Published on: January 22, 2016
Effects of response spacing on acquisition and retention of conditional discriminations
Matthew Porritt1, Karen Van Wagner, Alan Poling
1Western Michigan University, USA.
Abstract:
Pigeons were exposed to a repeated acquisition procedure in which no delays were imposed and rate of responding was relatively high. They also were exposed to conditions in which delays were arranged between trials within chains or between completed chains, and rates of responding were lower. Number of trials, rate of reinforcement, difficulty of the discrimination, and motivating operations were held constant. Terminal accuracy was highest under the no-delay condition, in which rate of responding was highest. Effects of trial spacing on retention were mixed and depended on whether delays were imposed between trials within chains or between completed chains. These findings provide basic-research support for the rapid presentation of trials in direct instruction and for rate building in precision teaching.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Generalization, Discrimination, and Extinction
Generalization occurs when a behavior reinforced in one context is performed in similar situations. For instance, a student who studies diligently for calculus and receives excellent grades might apply the same study habits to psychology and history, expecting similar results. Generalization shows how learning in one setting can influence behavior in...
Timing and Consequences on Behavior
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant...
Associative Learning
Classical conditioning, also known...
Principles of Classical Conditioning
During the...

