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Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1982 Jan;37(1):81–96. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1982.37-81

Preference in concurrent variable-interval fixed-ratio schedules

Michael Davison
PMCID: PMC1333120  PMID: 16812261

Abstract

Five pigeons were trained on concurrent variable-interval fixed-ratio schedules in three experiments. Experiment 1 used two variable-interval schedules and one fixed-ratio schedule, and the ratio requirement was varied. Using the generalized matching law, sensitivity to reinforcement was close to 1.0, but performance was biased toward the variable-interval schedule with the lower reinforcement rate. In Experiment 2, which used one variable-interval and one fixed-ratio schedule, the interval schedule was varied. All birds showed sensitivities to reinforcement of less than 1.0 and of less than the values obtained in Experiment 1. The performance was also biased toward the fixed-ratio schedule. Because the generalized matching law could not account for the differences in the data from Experiments 1 and 2, an extension of this law was suggested and successfully tested in Experiment 3. The proposed dual-sensitivity model was also shown to clarify some previously reported results.

Keywords: concurrent schedules, variable-interval schedules, fixed-ratio schedules, response allocation, time allocation, pecking, 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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