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Conditioned reinforcement dynamics in three-link chained schedules

B A Williams1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0109, USA. bawilliams@ucsd.edu

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|January 1, 1997
PubMed
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Rats preferred chains with more food, but avoided extra non-food links when stimuli differed. Stimuli in chain schedules influence choice based on food and conditioned reinforcer timing.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Operant Conditioning

Background:

  • Concurrent-chains schedules are used to study choice behavior.
  • Stimuli associated with different parts of a reinforcement schedule can influence decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how stimuli at different points in three-link concurrent-chains schedules affect choice behavior in rats.
  • To determine the relative importance of time to food and time to conditioned reinforcers in mediating stimulus control.

Main Methods:

  • Rats were trained on concurrent-chains schedules with variations in terminal-link outcomes (food vs. no food) and stimulus presentation.
  • Experiment 1 manipulated additional terminal-link entries and their associated stimuli.
  • Experiment 2 examined discrimination learning under conditions with differential stimuli at various chain links.

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Main Results:

  • Rats preferred chains with additional food, indicating sensitivity to overall reinforcement rate.
  • When additional links led to no food, preference depended on stimulus distinctiveness; distinct stimuli led to avoidance, while identical stimuli led to indifference.
  • Discrimination acquisition was faster when differential stimuli were present in both middle and terminal links compared to when they were absent or only in the middle link.

Conclusions:

  • Stimuli in concurrent-chains schedules exert control over choice behavior.
  • The influence of stimuli is determined by both the delay to the unconditioned reinforcer (food) and the delay to the next conditioned reinforcer.
  • The distinctiveness of stimuli associated with different outcomes plays a crucial role in choice, particularly when outcomes are aversive (extinction).