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Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1967 Jul;10(4):341–347. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1967.10-341

Some effects of fixed-interval duration on response rate in a two-component chain schedule

Stephen B Kendall
PMCID: PMC1338333  PMID: 6033555

Abstract

In Exp. I three pigeons were trained on a two-component chain schedule. Responding on a 1-min variable-interval schedule in the initial component led to a sequence of two fixed-interval schedules in the terminal component. The rate of reinforcement in the terminal component was kept constant while the values of the two fixed intervals were varied. Three combinations of fixed-interval schedules were studied, FI 0.25, FI 1.75 (minutes) or FI 1.00, FI 1.00, or FI 1.75, FI 0.25. The rate for each subject declined in the initial component as the value of the first fixed interval was increased. Experiment II was conducted to assess the role of the second fixed-interval schedule in the terminal component in determining the rate of responding in the initial component. For each chain schedule the rate of responding in the initial component was determined both with and without the second of the sequence of fixed intervals. In all three cases the rate of responding in the initial component decreased when the second fixed interval was removed. Increasing the first fixed interval in Exp. I had a greater effect on variable-interval performance than did the removal of the second fixed interval in Exp. II.

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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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