Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1972 Sep;18(2):187–199. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1972.18-187

Responding under discrete-trial fixed-interval schedules of reinforcement1

Bruce A Schneider, Allen J Neuringer
PMCID: PMC1334003  PMID: 16811622

Abstract

A fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement was modified by dividing each interval into 4-sec trial periods. No more than one response could occur during each trial because the operandum was inactivated for the remainder of any trial in which a response occurred. For example, under a 28-sec schedule, no more than seven responses could be emitted between reinforcements. Probabilities of responding by pigeons under six values of this discrete-trial fixed-interval schedule were best described by a two-state model: responding was either absent or infrequent immediately after reinforcement; then, at some variable time after reinforcement, there was an abrupt transition to a high and constant probability of responding on each trial. Performances under the discrete-trial procedure were less affected by uncontrolled sources of variance than performances under equivalent free-operant fixed-interval schedules.

Full text

PDF
187

Selected References

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

  1. ANGER D. The dependence of interresponse times upon the relative reinforcement of different interresponse times. J Exp Psychol. 1956 Sep;52(3):145–161. doi: 10.1037/h0041255. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Blough D. S. The reinforcement of least-frequent interresponse times. J Exp Anal Behav. 1966 Sep;9(5):581–591. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1966.9-581. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Blough P. M., Blough D. S. The distribution of interresponse times in the pigeon during variable-interval reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1968 Jan;11(1):23–27. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1968.11-23. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cumming W. W., Schoenfeld W. N. Behavior Stability Under Extended Exposure to a Time-Correlated Reinforcement Contingency. J Exp Anal Behav. 1960 Jan;3(1):71–82. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1960.3-71. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cumming W. W., Schoenfeld W. N. Behavior under extended exposure to a high-value fixed interval reinforcement schedule. J Exp Anal Behav. 1958 Aug;1(3):245–263. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1958.1-245. [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. HERRNSTEIN R. J. SECONDARY REINFORCEMENT AND RATE OF PRIMARY REINFORCEMENT. J Exp Anal Behav. 1964 Jan;7:27–36. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1964.7-27. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. MECHNER F., GUEVREKIAN L., MECHNER V. A fixed interval schedule in which the interval is initiated by a response. J Exp Anal Behav. 1963 Jul;6:323–330. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1963.6-323. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Neuringer A. J. Delayed reinforcement versus reinforcement after a fixed interval. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 May;12(3):375–383. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-375. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Neuringer A. J., Schneider B. A. Separating the effects of interreinforcement time and number of interreinforcement responses. J Exp Anal Behav. 1968 Nov;11(6):661–667. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1968.11-661. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Nevin J. A. Interval reinforcement of choice behavior in discrete trials. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Nov;12(6):875–885. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-875. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Schneider B. A. A two-state analysis of fixed-interval responding in the pigeon. J Exp Anal Behav. 1969 Sep;12(5):677–687. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1969.12-677. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Shull R. L., Brownstein A. J. Interresponse time duration in fixed-interval schedules of reinforcement: control by ordinal position and time since reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1970 Jul;14(1):49–53. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1970.14-49. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Shull R. L. The response-reinforcement dependency in fixed-interval schedules of reinforcement. J Exp Anal Behav. 1970 Jul;14(1):55–60. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1970.14-55. [DOI] [PMC free article] [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