摘要:

In several different experiments, pigeons were trained with one schedule or condition of food reinforcement for pecking in the presence of one key color, and a different schedule or condition in the presence of a second key color. After responding in both of these multiple schedule components stabilized, response‐independent food was presented during dark‐key periods between components, and the rates of pecking in both schedule components decreased. The decrease in responding relative to baseline depended on the frequency, magnitude, delay, or response‐rate contingencies of reinforcement prevailing in that component. When reinforcement was terminated, decreases in responding relative to baseline rates were ordered in the same way as with response‐independent food. The relations between component response rates were power functions. Internal consistencies in the data, in conjunction with parallel findings in the literature, suggest that the concept of response strength summarizes the effects of diverse procedures, where response strength is identified with relative resistance to change. The exponent of the power function relating response rates may provide the basis for scaling response s

ISSN:0022-5002    

DOI:10.1901/jeab.1974.21-389

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1974

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Two experiments with human subjects investigated the effects of rate of reinforcement and reinforcer magnitude upon choice. In Experiment 1, each of five subjects responded on four concurrent variable‐interval schedules. In contrast to previous studies using non‐human organisms, relative response rate did not closely match relative rate of reinforcement. Discrepancies ranged from 0.03 to 0.43 (mean equal to 0.19). Similar discrepancies were found between relative amount of time spent responding on each schedule and the corresponding relative rates of reinforcement. In Experiment 2, in which reinforcer magnitude was varied for each of five subjects, similar discrepancies ranging from 0.05 to 0.50 (mean equal to 0.21), were found between relative response rate and relative proportion of reinforcers received. In both experiments, changeover rates were lower on the long‐interval concurrent schedules than on the short‐interval ones. The results suggest that simple application of previous generalizations regarding the effects of reinforcement rate and reinforcer magnitude on choice for variable‐interval schedules does not accurately describe human behavior in a simple laboratory

ISSN:0022-5002    

DOI:10.1901/jeab.1974.21-409

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1974

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Key pecking of pigeons was reinforced on a variable‐interval schedule when ambient illumination came from a green light, but not when it came from a red, yellow, or white light. The different hues were randomly presented for periods of 30 sec each, with the restriction that white never followed red. After discriminative control was established, the pigeons were tested with the same procedure used during training, except that white sometimes followed red. Significantly more responses were made during white‐following‐red than during white following either green or yellow. These findings indicate that, in changing from red to white, complementary afterimages can be induced in pigeons for a brief period of time. By providing behavioral evidence for afterimages in the pigeon, this technique may be useful to research in comparative neurophysiology, animal discrimination learning, and theories of color v

ISSN:0022-5002    

DOI:10.1901/jeab.1974.21-421

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1974

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

During training sessions, pecks by pigeons on a response key illuminated by a vertical line of white light resulted in reinforcement and an ensuing blackout according to a fixed‐interval schedule. Training sessions were followed by dimensional stimulus control test sessions during which the orientation of the line present throughout the fixed interval was varied. Inverted U‐shaped (excitatory) gradients of responding, with maximum responding occurring in the presence of the vertical line, were observed during the terminal part of the fixed interval. U‐shaped (inhibitory) gradients of responding, with minimum responding occurring in the presence of the vertical line, were observed during the early part of the fixed interval when the preceding interval had terminated with reinforcement and blackout but not when the preceding interval had terminated with blackout only. These results suggest that the dimensional control by the stimulus present throughout the fixed interval is of a conditional variety. Whether the fixed‐interval stimulus exerts inhibitory or excitatory dimensional control depends upon the presence and absence, respectively, of stimuli associated with reinfo

ISSN:0022-5002    

DOI:10.1901/jeab.1974.21-425

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1974

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Rates and patterns of responding of pigeons under response‐independent and response‐dependent schedules of brief‐stimulus presentation were compared by superimposing 3‐min brief‐stimulus schedules on a 15‐min fixed‐interval schedule of food presentation. The brief‐stimulus schedules were fixed time, fixed interval, variable time, and variable interval. When the brief stimulus was paired with food presentation, its effects depended upon the schedule and ongoing rates. Fixed‐ and variable‐interval brief‐stimulus schedules enhanced the low rates normally occurring early in the 15‐min interval, whereas fixed‐ and variable‐time schedules suppressed these rates. Although the overall rates later in the interval were not affected to any great extent, the fixed brief‐stimulus schedules generated patterns of positively accelerated responding between stimulus presentations. These patterns appeared less frequently under the variable brief‐stimulus schedules. Initially, when not paired with food delivery, presentations of the brief stimulus produced relatively little effect on either response rate or patterning. However, once the stimulus had accompanied food presentation, the original performance under the non‐paired condition was not recovered. The effects were more like those occurring when

ISSN:0022-5002    

DOI:10.1901/jeab.1974.21-433

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1974

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Lever pressing in rats was reinforced with food under a multiple spaced‐responding schedule. A lever, food cup, and drinking tube were mounted in a running wheel so that lever pressing, running, and licking could be recorded. Running and licking had no scheduled consequences. Lever pressing was reinforced under a multiple schedule with three spaced‐responding components and an extinction component. Each component was associated with a different auditory stimulus. Spaced‐responding components reinforced only lever presses terminating interresponse times equal to or greater than 10, 20, or 60 sec, respectively. Rates of lever pressing, reinforcement, and licking all decreased as schedule parameter increased. Efficiency of spaced responding, as measured by reinforcements per response, also decreased. Rate of wheel running either increased or increased and then decreased with increasing schedule parameter. Individual running rates differed substantially. Neither licking nor running rate correlated with individual differences in efficiency. Analysis of conditional probabilities among the several response classes showed that, as the schedule requirement increased, the probability of running after a lever press increased and the probability of licking after a lever press decreased. After reinforcement, one subject always pressed the lever next. In the other subjects, the conditional probability of lever pressing, given reinforcement, increased while the probability of licking, given reinforcement, decreased with increasing schedule requirement. Results are discussed in relation to the concepts of schedule‐induced and mediating b

ISSN:0022-5002    

DOI:10.1901/jeab.1974.21-445

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1974

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Previous studies have identified and manipulated collateral behavior to assess the effect of collateral behavior on performance under the differential‐reinforcement‐of‐low‐rate (DRL) schedule. However, conclusions could not be applied to subjects not observed to engage in collateral behavior. The present study used a technique that prevented the occurrence of the types of collateral behavior typically observed in the pigeon. This technique did not require the identification of collateral behavior in the subjects. The exclusion of the types of collateral behavior typically observed in pigeons resulted in higher response rates and lower reinforcement rates under large DRL values but had no effect at lower DRL values. It was concluded that collateral behavior is necessary for low response rates and high reinforcement rates under large DRL

ISSN:0022-5002    

DOI:10.1901/jeab.1974.21-455

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1974

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Two experiments were conducted demonstrating that under certain conditions pigeons may peck at a higher rate on a key that produces intermittent reinforcement following a delay than on one that always produces reinforcement following the same delay duration. In both experiments, concurrent chain schedules were employed. In Experiment I, a single peck on one key led to a white light and a delay of 15 sec, which always terminated with food. A peck on the other key led to its illumination by one of two colored lights and a delay period of 15 sec. The delay was followed by either food presentation or timeout, either one lasting 3 sec. In a control group, the lights on this key were not correlated with food or timeout. Under the correlated stimuli, birds more often pecked the key leading to intermittent reinforcement, whereas with uncorrelated stimuli they pecked the key leading to the white light and 100% reinforcement. In Experiment II, concurrent variable‐interval schedules were employed in the first link. The results showed generally that the relative rate was higher on the key leading to intermittent reinforcement when the stimuli were correlated with reinforcement and timeout than on the key leading to 100% reinforcement. There was some indication that this performance was affected by (1) the duration of the delay, (2) the percentage of reinforcement on the key yielding the higher percentage of reinforcement (the key with the white light), and (3) prior experimental condition

ISSN:0022-5002    

DOI:10.1901/jeab.1974.21-463

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1974

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

After 30 days of operant training, with pecking responses to aerial photographs containing man‐made objects reinforced with food, and no food reinforcement for pecking on photographs not containing man‐made objects, a discrimination to the two classes of photographs was obtained. The discriminative response generalized to photographs with which the pigeons had no previous experience. This study demonstrates that pigeons are capable of forming relatively high‐order concepts. Some possible stimulus properties controlling the discrimination are disc

ISSN:0022-5002    

DOI:10.1901/jeab.1974.21-475

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1974

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Pigeons were given a small, immediate food reinforcement for pecking a key, and a larger, delayed reinforcement for not pecking this key. Most subjects pecked the key on more than 95% of trials. However, when pecking a differently colored key at an earlier time prevented this option from becoming available, three of 10 subjects consistently pecked it, thereby forcing themselves to wait for the larger reward. They did not peck the earlier key when it did not prevent this option. This is an experimental example of psychological impulse and a learnable device to control it. Although only a minority of the subjects learned it, the fact that such learning is possible at all argues for a theory of delayed reward that can predict change of preference as a function of elapsing time.

ISSN:0022-5002    

DOI:10.1901/jeab.1974.21-485

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1974

数据来源: WILEY