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Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1981 Jan;35(1):79–91. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1981.35-79

Differential responding without differential reinforcement: Intensity difference, continuum position, and reinforcement density effects

Thomas G Raslear
PMCID: PMC1333024  PMID: 16812202

Abstract

The response rates of five groups of rats were observed during exposure to different intensities of a four kilohertz tone within a two-component multiple schedule of nondifferential reinforcement. Response rates were found to be higher during the multiple schedule component which contained the higher intensity tone. Larger differences in response rates between the two multiple schedule components occurred with greater intensity separations (30 versus 20 decibels). At the 30 decibel separation a low absolute magnitude produced larger response rate differences than a high absolute magnitude, while at the 20 decibel separation a high absolute magnitude produced larger response rate differences. Increases in reinforcement density were accompanied by decreases in response rate differences between high and low intensity components only when over-all response rates also increased.

Keywords: stimulus intensity dynamism, stimulus control, bar pressing, rats

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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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