Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 2003 Sep;80(2):159–171. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2003.80-159

Bouts of responding from variable-interval reinforcement of lever pressing by rats.

Richard L Shull 1, Julie A Grimes 1
PMCID: PMC1284951  PMID: 14674726

Abstract

Four rats obtained food pellets by lever pressing. A variable-interval reinforcement schedule assigned reinforcers on average every 2 min during one block of 20 sessions and on average every 8 min during another block. Also, at each variable-interval duration, a block of sessions was conducted with a schedule that imposed a variable-ratio 4 response requirement after each variable interval (i.e., a tandem variable-time variable-ratio 4 schedule). The total rate of lever pressing increased as a function of the rate of reinforcement and as a result of imposing the variable-ratio requirement. Analysis of log survivor plots of interresponse times indicated that lever pressing occurred in bouts that were separated by pauses. Increasing the rate of reinforcement increased total response rate by increasing the rate of initiating bouts and, less reliably, by lengthening bouts. Imposing the variable-ratio component increased response rate mainly by lengthening bouts. This pattern of results is similar to that reported previously with key poking as the response. Also, response rates within bouts were relatively insensitive to either variable.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (139.4 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. AZRIN N. H. Punishment and recovery during fixed-ratio performance. J Exp Anal Behav. 1959 Oct;2:301–305. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1959.2-301. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baum William M. From molecular to molar: a paradigm shift in behavior analysis. J Exp Anal Behav. 2002 Jul;78(1):95–116. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2002.78-95. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Blough D. S. Interresponse time as a function of continuous variables: a new method and some data. J Exp Anal Behav. 1963 Apr;6(2):237–246. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1963.6-237. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. COTTON J. W. Running time as a function of amount of food deprivation. J Exp Psychol. 1953 Sep;46(3):188–198. doi: 10.1037/h0061014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Davis J. D., Smith G. P. Analysis of the microstructure of the rhythmic tongue movements of rats ingesting maltose and sucrose solutions. Behav Neurosci. 1992 Feb;106(1):217–228. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Derenne Adam, Baron Alan. Preratio pausing: effects of an alternative reinforcer on fixed- and variable-ratio responding. J Exp Anal Behav. 2002 May;77(3):273–282. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2002.77-273. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Felton M., Lyon D. O. The post-reinforcement pause. J Exp Anal Behav. 1966 Mar;9(2):131–134. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1966.9-131. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. GILBERT T. F. Fundamental dimensional properties of the operant. Psychol Rev. 1958 Sep;65(5):272–282. doi: 10.1037/h0044071. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Killeen Peter R., Hall Scott S., Reilly Mark P., Kettle Lauren C. Molecular analyses of the principal components of response strength. J Exp Anal Behav. 2002 Sep;78(2):127–160. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2002.78-127. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kirkpatrick Kimberly. Packet theory of conditioning and timing. Behav Processes. 2002 Apr 28;57(2-3):89–106. doi: 10.1016/s0376-6357(02)00007-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Nevin J. A., Randolph, Holland S., McLean A. P. Variable-ratio versus variable-interval schedules: response rate, resistance to change, and preference. J Exp Anal Behav. 2001 Jul;76(1):43–74. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2001.76-43. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Pear J. J., Rector B. L. Constituents of response rates. J Exp Anal Behav. 1979 Nov;32(3):341–362. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1979.32-341. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Perone M., Courtney K. Fixed-ratio pausing: Joint effects of past reinforcer magnitude and stimuli correlated with upcoming magnitude. J Exp Anal Behav. 1992 Jan;57(1):33–46. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1992.57-33. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Powell R. W. The effect of reinforcement magnitude upon responding under fixed-ratio schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Jul;12(4):605–608. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-605. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. SIDMAN M., STEBBINS W. C. Satiation effects under fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1954 Apr;47(2):114–116. doi: 10.1037/h0054127. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. STELLAR E., HILL J. H. The rats rate of drinking as a function of water deprivation. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1952 Feb;45(1):96–102. doi: 10.1037/h0062150. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Shull R. L., Gaynor S. T., Grimes J. A. Response rate viewed as engagement bouts: effects of relative reinforcement and schedule type. J Exp Anal Behav. 2001 May;75(3):247–274. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2001.75-247. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Tolkamp BJ, Kyriazakis I., I To split behaviour into bouts, log-transform the intervals. Anim Behav. 1999 Apr;57(4):807–817. doi: 10.1006/anbe.1998.1022. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior are provided here courtesy of Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

RESOURCES