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Positive reinforcement is a powerful method for teaching new behaviors to both animals and humans. B.F. Skinner demonstrated this with his experiments using rats in a Skinner box. When a rat pressed a lever, it received a food pellet. This immediate reward encouraged the rat to repeat the behavior. This method, where a reward follows every instance of the behavior, is known as continuous reinforcement. It is highly effective for establishing new behaviors quickly.
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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
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Timing in response-initiated fixed intervals.

Adam E Fox1, Elizabeth G E Kyonka

  • 1St. Lawrence University.

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|December 24, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Response-initiated fixed-interval (RIFI) schedules, where a peck starts the interval, showed reduced timing precision compared to standard fixed-interval (FI) schedules in pigeons. The distinctiveness of the time marker influences its effectiveness in reinforcement schedules.

Keywords:
key peckpigeonsresponse-initiated fixed intervaltemporal discriminationtime markerstiming

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Animal Cognition
  • Operant Conditioning

Background:

  • Schedules of reinforcement utilize time markers to initiate intervals.
  • Pigeons are commonly used subjects to study interval timing and reinforcement schedules.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how different interval initiation methods affect timing precision in pigeons.
  • To compare standard fixed-interval (FI) schedules with response-initiated fixed-interval (RIFI) schedules.

Main Methods:

  • Pigeons were exposed to multiple FI and RIFI schedules.
  • A yoking procedure equated reinforcement rates between schedule types.
  • Peak trials with no food delivery were used in Experiment 2 to assess timing accuracy.

Main Results:

  • Absolute response rates were higher early in RIFI schedules.
  • Timing precision was reduced in RIFI schedules, indicated by longer durations of high-rate responding during peak trials.
  • Response patterns between interval onset and food delivery were similar in Experiment 1.

Conclusions:

  • The distinctiveness of a time marker may influence its efficacy in controlling behavior.
  • Response-initiated intervals may be less precise than externally signaled intervals.
  • Findings contribute to understanding the role of interval cues in operant conditioning.