Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1971 Nov;16(3):289–313. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1971.16-289

Second-order schedules and the problem of conditioned reinforcement

D Alan Stubbs
PMCID: PMC1333931  PMID: 16811549

Abstract

Thirteen pigeons were exposed to a variety of second-order schedules in which responding under a component schedule was reinforced according to a schedule of reinforcement. Under different conditions, completion of each component resulted in either (1) the brief presentation of a stimulus also present during reinforcement (pairing operation), (2) the brief presentation of a stimulus not present during reinforcement (nonpairing operation), or (3) no brief stimulus presentation (tandem). Brief-stimulus presentations engendered a pattern of responding within components similar to that engendered by food. Patterning was observed when fixed-interval and fixed-ratio components were maintained under fixed- and variable-ratio and fixed- and variable-interval schedules. There were no apparent differences in performance under pairing and nonpairing conditions in any study. The properties of the stimuli presented in brief-stimulus operations produced different effects on response patterning. In one study, similar effects on performance were found whether brief-stimulus presentations were response-produced or delivered independently of responding. Response patterning did not occur when the component schedule under which a nonpaired stimulus was produced occurred independently of the food schedule. The results suggest a reevaluation of the role of conditioned reinforcement in second-order schedule performance. The similarity of behavior under pairing and nonpairing operations is consistent with two hypotheses: (1) the major effect is due to the discriminative properties of the brief stimulus; (2) the scheduling operation under which the paired or nonpaired stimulus is presented can establish it as a reinforcer.

Full text

PDF
289

Selected References

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

  1. Byrd L. D., Marr M. J. Relations between patterns of responding and the presentation of stimuli under second-order schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Sep;12(5):713–722. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-713. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Byrd L. D. Responding in the cat maintained under response-independent electric shock and response-produced electric shock. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Jan;12(1):1–10. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Catania A. C., Reynolds G. S. A quantitative analysis of the responding maintained by interval schedules of reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1968 May;11(3 Suppl):327–383. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1968.11-s327. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Clark H. B., Sherman J. A. Effects of a conditioned reinforcer upon accuracy of match-to-sample behavior in pigeons. J Exp Anal Behav. 1970 May;13(3):375–384. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1970.13-375. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DEWS P. B. THE EFFECT OF MULTIPLE S-DELTA PERIODS ON RESPONDING ON A FIXED-INTERVAL SCHEDULE. II. IN A PRIMATE. J Exp Anal Behav. 1965 Jan;8:53–54. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1965.8-53. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. DEWS P. B. The effect of multiple S delta periods on responding on a fixed-interval schedule. J Exp Anal Behav. 1962 Jul;5:369–374. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1962.5-369. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Davison M. C. Successive interresponse times in fixed-ratio and second-order fixed-ratio performance. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 May;12(3):385–389. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-385. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. De Lorge J. Fixed-interval behavior maintained by conditioned reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1967 May;10(3):271–276. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1967.10-271. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. De Lorge J. The effects of brief stimuli presented under a multiple schedule of second-order schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1971 Jan;15(1):19–25. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1971.15-19. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Dews P. B. The effect of multiple S periods on responding on a fixed-interval schedule: IV. Effect of continuous S with only short S probes. J Exp Anal Behav. 1966 Mar;9(2):147–151. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1966.9-147. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Dews P. B. The effect of multiple S-delta periods on responding on a fixed-interval schedule. V. Effect of periods of complete darkness and of occasional omissions of food presentations. J Exp Anal Behav. 1966 Sep;9(5):573–578. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1966.9-573. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. FINDLEY J. D., BRADY J. V. FACILITATION OF LARGE RATIO PERFORMANCE BY USE OF CONDITIONED REINFORCEMENT. J Exp Anal Behav. 1965 Mar;8:125–129. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1965.8-125. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. FRY W., KELLEHER R. T., COOK L. A mathematical index of performance on fixed-interval schedules of reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1960 Jul;3:193–199. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1960.3-193. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Farmer J., Schoenfeld W. N. Varying temporal placement of an added stimulus in a fixed-interval schedule. J Exp Anal Behav. 1966 Jul;9(4):369–375. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1966.9-369. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Felton M., Lyon D. O. The post-reinforcement pause. J Exp Anal Behav. 1966 Mar;9(2):131–134. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1966.9-131. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. GOLLUB L. R. THE RELATIONS AMONG MEASURES OF PERFORMANCE ON FIXED-INTERVAL SCHEDULES. J Exp Anal Behav. 1964 Sep;7:337–343. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1964.7-337. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. KELLEHER R. T., FRY W., COOK L. ADJUSTING FIXED-RATIO SCHEDULES IN THE SQUIRREL MONKEY. J Exp Anal Behav. 1964 Jan;7:69–77. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1964.7-69. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. KELLEHER R. T., GOLLUB L. R. A review of positive conditioned reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1962 Oct;5:543–597. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1962.5-s543. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Kelleher R. T., Morse W. H. Schedules using noxious stimuli. III. Responding maintained with response-produced electric shocks. J Exp Anal Behav. 1968 Nov;11(6):819–838. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1968.11-819. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Kelleher R. T., Morse W. H. Schedules using noxious stimuli. IV: An interlocking shock-postponement schedule in the squirrel monkey. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Nov;12(6):1063–1079. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-1063. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. MYERS J. L. Secondary reinforcement: a review of recent experimentation. Psychol Bull. 1958 Sep;55(5):284–301. doi: 10.1037/h0046125. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. McKearney J. W. Fixed-interval schedules of electric shock presentation: extinction and recovery of performance under different shock intensities and fixed-interval durations. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Mar;12(2):301–313. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-301. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. McKearney J. W. Maintenance of responding under a fixed-interval schedule of electric shock-presentation. Science. 1968 Jun 14;160(3833):1249–1251. doi: 10.1126/science.160.3833.1249. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. McKearney J. W. Rate-dependent effects of drugs: modification by discriminative stimuli of the effects of amobarbital on schedule-controlled behavior. J Exp Anal Behav. 1970 Sep;14(2):167–175. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1970.14-167. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Morse W. H., Kelleher R. T. Schedules using noxious stimuli. I. Multiple fixed-ratio and fixed-interval termination of schedule complexes. J Exp Anal Behav. 1966 May;9(3):267–290. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1966.9-267. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Neuringer A. J., Chung S. H. Quasi-reinforcement: control of responding by a percentage-reinforcement schedule. J Exp Anal Behav. 1967 Jan;10(1):45–54. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1967.10-45. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Staddon J. E., Innis N. K. Reinforcement omission on fixed-interval schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Sep;12(5):689–700. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-689. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Stubbs A. Contiguity of briefly presented stimuli with food reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Mar;12(2):271–278. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-271. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Thomas J. R., Stubbs A. Stimulus control of temporally spaced responding in second-order schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1967 Mar;10(2):175–183. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1967.10-175. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Zeiler M. D. Fixed and variable schedules of response-independent reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1968 Jul;11(4):405–414. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1968.11-405. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Zimmerman D. W. Concurrent schedules of primary and conditioned reinforcement in rats. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Mar;12(2):261–268. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-261. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Zimmerman D. W. Intermittent Reinforcement of Discriminatively Controlled Responses and Runs of Responses. J Exp Anal Behav. 1960 Jan;3(1):83–91. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1960.3-83. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Zimmerman J., Hanford P. V., Brown W. Effects of conditioned reinforcement frequency in an intermittent free-feeding situation. J Exp Anal Behav. 1967 Jul;10(4):331–340. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1967.10-331. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Zimmerman J., Hanford P. V. Sustaining behavior with conditioned reinforcement as the only response-produced consequence. Psychol Rep. 1966 Oct;19(2):391–401. doi: 10.2466/pr0.1966.19.2.391. [DOI] [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