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Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1990 Jul;54(1):13–22. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1990.54-13

Variable-interval schedule performance in open and closed economies

Genae A Hall, Kennon A Lattal
PMCID: PMC1322942  PMID: 16812613

Abstract

In two experiments, pigeons obtained food according to variable-interval schedules. In the first experiment, equivalent variable-interval schedules with average interreinforcer intervals ranging between 10 and 80 s in different conditions were studied in both open and closed economies. Response rates increased as reinforcement frequency decreased in the closed economy. By contrast, in the open economy response rates decreased for 1 bird and were variable for the other as reinforcement frequency decreased. The second experiment showed that the differences in the functions between responding and reinforcement frequency in the two types of economies were not due to changes in deprivation level. These results suggest that open and closed economies yield different behavioral effects. This conclusion is supported further by a reconsideration of previous findings that appear counter to the conclusion.

Keywords: open economy, closed economy, variable-interval schedules, behavioral economics, behavior regulation, key peck, pigeons

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Selected References

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

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