Schedule-induced behavior in children as a function of interreinforcement interval length

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Human Behavior Studies

Background:

• Intermittent reinforcement schedules are known to influence behavior.
• Schedule-induced behaviors have been extensively studied in animal models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of fixed interval (FI) food reinforcement schedules on specific behaviors in human children.
• To determine if schedule-induced behaviors observed in animals are also present in humans.

Main Methods:

• Two four-year-old twin female children participated in the study.
• Children were exposed to fixed interval (FI) schedules of 30, 60, 90, and 120 seconds with M&M candy reinforcers.
• Behaviors including drinking, gross and fine body movements, and grooming were recorded and compared to baseline conditions.

Main Results:

• Both subjects exhibited increased drinking, gross and fine body movements, and grooming under FI schedules compared to baseline.
• Bitonic functions were observed for drinking, fine body movements, and grooming in Subject J, and for drinking and fine movement in Subject K.
• These behavioral changes were excessive when compared to established baselines.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary results indicate that intermittent food reinforcement schedules can induce specific behaviors in humans.
• The findings support the species generality of schedule-induced behaviors, extending observations from animal studies to human subjects.