Journal article
Varying reinforcer duration produces behavioral interactions during multiple schedules
Behavioural processes, Vol.66(2), pp.83-100
05/31/2004
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/108831
PMID: 15110911
Abstract
The experiments tested the idea that changes in habituation to the reinforcer contribute to behavioral interactions during multiple schedules. This idea predicts that changing an aspect of the reinforcer should disrupt habituation and produce an interaction. Pigeons and rats responded on multiple variable interval variable interval schedules. Introducing variability into the duration of reinforcers in one component increased response rates in both components when the schedules provided high, but not low, rates of reinforcement. The increases in constant-component response rates grew larger as the session progressed. Within-session decreases in responding were smaller when the other component provided variable-, rather than fixed-, duration reinforcers. These results are consistent with the idea that changes in habituation to the reinforcer contribute to behavioral interactions. They help to explain why interactions do not occur for some subjects under conditions that produce them for others. Finally, the results question the assumption that induction and behavioral contrast are always produced by different theoretical mechanisms.
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Details
- Title
- Varying reinforcer duration produces behavioral interactions during multiple schedules
- Creators
- Frances K McSweeney - Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4820, USA. fkmcs@mail.wsu.eduEric S MurphyBenjamin P Kowal
- Publication Details
- Behavioural processes, Vol.66(2), pp.83-100
- Academic Unit
- Psychology, Department of
- Publisher
- Netherlands
- Grant note
- MH61720 / NIMH NIH HHS
- Identifiers
- 99900547267201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article