Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1990 May;53(3):395–407. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1990.53-395

Absence of anticipatory contrast in rats trained on multiple schedules.

B A Williams 1
PMCID: PMC1322965  PMID: 2341822

Abstract

Rats were trained on three- and four-component multiple schedules in which two of the components were correlated with identical reinforcement schedules that remained unchanged throughout training. These target components differed in terms of whether their respective following schedules were either higher or lower in value. Unlike corresponding experiments previously reported with pigeons, higher response rates occurred in the target component followed by a higher valued schedule than in the target component followed by the lower valued schedule. Overall contrast effects occurred independently of these sequential effects, but were inconsistent across subjects. The results suggest that the effects of a following schedule of reinforcement are opposite for pigeons and rats, and that one reason previous studies have often failed to show contrast effects with rats is that the effects of the following schedule in rats are in competition with contrast dynamics.

Full text

PDF
395

Selected References

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

  1. Bernheim J. W., Williams D. R. Time-dependent contrast effects in a multiple schedule of food reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1967 May;10(3):243–249. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1967.10-243. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Flaherty C. F., Grigson P. S. From contrast to reinforcement: role of response contingency in anticipatory contrast. J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1988 Apr;14(2):165–176. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Flaherty C. F., Rowan G. A. Successive, simultaneous, and anticipatory contrast in the consumption of saccharin solutions. J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1986 Oct;12(4):381–393. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gutman A., Sutterer J. R., Brush F. R. Positive and negative behavioral contrast in the rat. J Exp Anal Behav. 1975 May;23(3):377–383. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1975.23-377. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Halliday M. S., Boakes R. A. Behavioral contrast without response-rate reduction. J Exp Anal Behav. 1974 Nov;22(3):453–462. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1974.22-453. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Leitenberg H. Conditioned acceleration and conditioned suppression in pigeons. J Exp Anal Behav. 1966 May;9(3):205–212. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1966.9-205. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Nallan G. B., McCoy D. F. Positive contrast in the rat: a test of the additivity theory. Am J Psychol. 1979 Sep;92(3):449–461. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. PLISKOFF S. S. RATE-CHANGE EFFECTS WITH EQUAL POTENTIAL REINFORCEMENTS DURING THE "WARNING" STIMULUS. J Exp Anal Behav. 1963 Oct;6:557–562. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1963.6-557. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Sadowsky S. Behavioral contrast with timeout, blackout, or extinction as the negative condition. J Exp Anal Behav. 1973 May;19(3):499–507. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1973.19-499. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Weiss S. J. Discrimination training and stimulus compounding: consideration of non-reinforcement and response differentiation consequences of S. J Exp Anal Behav. 1971 May;15(3):387–402. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1971.15-387. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Williams B. A. Behavioral contrast as a function of the temporal location of reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1976 Jul;26(1):57–64. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1976.26-57. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Williams B. A. Contrast, component duration, and the following schedule of reinforcement. J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1979 Oct;5(4):379–396. doi: 10.1037//0097-7403.5.4.379. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Williams B. A. The following schedule of reinforcement as a fundamental determinant of steady state contrast in multiple schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1981 May;35(3):293–310. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1981.35-293. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Williams B. A., Wixted J. T. An equation for behavioral contrast. J Exp Anal Behav. 1986 Jan;45(1):47–62. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1986.45-47. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Wilton R. N., Gay R. A. Behavioral contrast in one component of a multiple schedule as a function of the reinforcement conditions operating in the following component. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Mar;12(2):239–246. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-239. [DOI] [PMC free article] [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