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Response-reinforcer dependency and resistance to change
Carlos R X Cançado1, Josele Abreu-Rodrigues1, Raquel Moreira Aló1
1Universidade de Brasília, Brazil.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|August 18, 2017
Summary
The study found that lower response-reinforcer dependency increases resistance to change in rats. This suggests the relationship between actions and rewards significantly impacts behavioral persistence.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral psychology
- Animal behavior studies
- Operant conditioning
Background:
- Behavioral persistence, or resistance to change, is a key concept in operant conditioning.
- The relationship between a response and its reinforcer (response-reinforcer dependency) is thought to influence this persistence.
- Previous research has yielded inconsistent findings regarding the precise effects of dependency levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how varying degrees of response-reinforcer dependency affect resistance to change in rats.
- To explore the impact of different methods for programming response-independent reinforcers.
- To clarify the role of the response-reinforcer relation in behavioral persistence.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments utilized multiple schedules of reinforcement with rats pressing a lever.
- Response-reinforcer dependency was manipulated across different components of the schedules (e.g., 100%, 50%, 10%).
- Resistance to change was measured by extinction or by replacing baseline schedules with variable-time schedules.
Main Results:
- Higher resistance to extinction was observed in components with lower response-reinforcer dependency (10%) compared to higher dependency (100%).
- When dependency was 10%, resistance to change was greater in an alternative component than a fixed component.
- Results were consistent across different methods of programming response-independent reinforcers and when using VT schedules for testing.
Conclusions:
- The relative change in response-reinforcer dependency from baseline to test conditions appears to influence resistance to change.
- The findings suggest that lower response-reinforcer dependencies may lead to greater behavioral persistence.
- Further systematic research is needed to fully understand the effects of the response-reinforcer relation on persistence and to refine theories of behavioral persistence.
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