Abstract
Pigeons were trained on either a variable-interval 60-second schedule, or on a schedule that differentially reinforced responses that were spaced at least 20 seconds apart. The birds were then exposed to several durations of reinforcement delay, with comparisons between signaled and unsignaled delays. Although unsignaled delays of 5 and 10 seconds produced large decreases in response rate, signaled delays of up to 10 seconds produced only moderate decreases in response rates. In addition, some subjects responded more rapidly with a .5 or 1.0 second duration of unsignaled delay than with immediate reinforcement. These response rate changes occurred regardless of whether the rate of reinforcement concomitantly decreased or increased.
Keywords: reinforcement delay, variable-interval schedule of reinforcement, differential-reinforcement-of-low-rates schedule of reinforcement, key peck, pigeons
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- AZZI R., FIX D. S., KELLER F. S., ROCHAESILVA M. I. EXTEROCEPTIVE CONTROL OF RESPONSE UNDER DELAYED REINFORCEMENT. J Exp Anal Behav. 1964 Mar;7:159–162. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1964.7-159. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- DEWS P. B. Free-operant behavior under conditions of delayed reinforcement. I. CRF-type schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1960 Jul;3:221–234. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1960.3-221. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- FERSTER C. B., HAMMER C. VARIABLES DETERMINING THE EFFECTS OF DELAY IN REINFORCEMENT. J Exp Anal Behav. 1965 Jul;8:243–254. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1965.8-243. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- FERSTER C. B. Sustained behavior under delayed reinforcement. J Exp Psychol. 1953 Apr;45(4):218–224. doi: 10.1037/h0062158. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- HOLZ W. C., AZRIN N. H., ULRICH R. E. Punishment of temporally spaced responding. J Exp Anal Behav. 1963 Jan;6:115–122. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1963.6-115. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Herrnstein R. J. On the law of effect. J Exp Anal Behav. 1970 Mar;13(2):243–266. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1970.13-243. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kramer T. J., Rilling M. Effects of timeout on spaced responding in pigeons. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Mar;12(2):283–288. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-283. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Morgan M. J. Fixed-ratio performance under conditions of delayed reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1972 Jan;17(1):95–98. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1972.17-95. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pierce C. H., Hanford P. V., Zimmerman J. Effects of different delay of reinforcement procedures on variable-interval responding. J Exp Anal Behav. 1972 Jul;18(1):141–146. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1972.18-141. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- REYNOLDS G. S. ACCURATE AND RAPID RECONDITIONING OF SPACED RESPONDING. J Exp Anal Behav. 1964 May;7:273–275. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1964.7-273. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- REYNOLDS G. S. TEMPORALLY SPACED RESPONDING BY PIGEONS: DEVELOPMENT AND EFFECTS OF DEPRIVATION AND EXTINCTION. J Exp Anal Behav. 1964 Nov;7:415–421. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1964.7-415. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Richards R. W. Reinforcement delay: some effects on behavioral contrast. J Exp Anal Behav. 1972 May;17(3):381–394. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1972.17-381. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sizemore O. J., Lattal K. A. Dependency, temporal contiguity, and response-independent reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1977 Jan;27(1):119–125. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1977.27-119. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sizemore O. J., Lattal K. A. Unsignalled delay of reinforcement in variable-interval schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1978 Sep;30(2):169–175. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1978.30-169. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wilkie D. M. Delayed reinforcement in a multiple schedule. J Exp Anal Behav. 1971 Sep;16(2):233–239. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1971.16-233. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Williams B. A. The effects of unsignalled delayed reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1976 Nov;26(3):441–449. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1976.26-441. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]