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Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1987 Nov;48(3):367–381. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1987.48-367

Dissociation of value and response strength

William Vaughan Jr
PMCID: PMC1338759  PMID: 16812498

Abstract

Four pigeons were exposed to multiple schedules and later to concurrent-chains schedules, with terminal links that had previously been multiple-schedule components. For 2 birds, the terminal-link schedules arranged an inverse relationship between response rate and reinforcement rate; for the other 2 birds a direct corresponding relationship was arranged. Those response rates were further modified by differentially reinforcing either longer or shorter interresponse times, relative to the current means. Although the birds' initial-link responses indicated preferences for terminal links with higher rates of reinforcement, in half the cases the birds responded during the terminal links in such a way as to produce lower rates of reinforcement, rates their initial-link behavior indicated they did not prefer. That outcome is inconsistent with maximization theory, but consistent with a strengthening analysis of behavior on single-key schedules.

Keywords: maximization, multiple schedules, concurrent chains, interresponse times, key peck, pigeon

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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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