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Pause relationships in multiple and chained fixed-ratio schedules.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|March 1, 1968
Summary
Pigeons show longer pauses before a fixed-ratio 100 schedule than a fixed-ratio 10 schedule. Adjusting reinforcement probability in either schedule reversed this pause pattern, highlighting reinforcement
Area of Science:
- Behavioral psychology
- Animal behavior studies
Background:
- Pigeons exhibit distinct pause patterns before fixed-ratio schedules.
- Schedule-induced pauses are influenced by reinforcement contingencies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of reinforcement percentage within a component on pause durations.
- To determine if the relative rate of reinforcement influences response latency.
Main Methods:
- Pigeons were trained on multiple and chained fixed-ratio schedules.
- Reinforcement percentage in the initial component was systematically varied.
- Pause durations before each component were measured.
Main Results:
- Decreasing reinforcement in the initial component of a multiple schedule increased the pause before it.
- Increasing reinforcement in the initial component of a chained schedule decreased the pause before it.
- Reinforcement percentage was inversely related to the pause before the initial component and directly related to the pause before the subsequent component.
Conclusions:
- The relative rate of reinforcement associated with a stimulus is critical in modulating pause durations.
- Response latency is significantly influenced by the perceived reinforcement value of preceding stimuli.