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Experiments involving the response of pigeons for food reinforcement on switching-key concurrent variable-interval schedules are conducted to examine whether different independent variables control choice independently. Results indicate that relative reinforcer rates and magnitude do not control concurrent choice independently.

The effects that sequences of same-key reinforcers obtained from the same response key have on local preference in concurrent variable-interval schedules with pigeons as subjects are investigated. Although there was a general tendency to stay at the just-reinforced alternative, this tendency was considerably decreased in conditions where same-key reinforcer sequences were short.

The quantification of steady-state choice in concurrent schedules is analyzed. The results extended previous research using the same basic procedure that had included only reinforcer distributions symmetrical around 1:1 and the analysis suggests that the variables controlling choice operated at a number of levels.

An experiment was conducted in which five pigeons are trained on pairs of concurrent variable-interval schedules in a switching key procedure. The results of the study that maintained an overall constant rate of reinforcement are described.

Six pigeons were experimented to find the response on pairs of concurrent variable-interval schedules with, four different arrangements of alteration between the schedules. Differences in behavior preceding the different-postswitch are exhibited in the signaled random alternation procedure.

We introduce to behavior analysis a way of analyzing choice behavior that exploits recent developments in nanoeconomics, financial economics, and econometrics. A response return, modeled on an economic return, is the log differenced count of responses allocated to each of two alternatives during a short time window, compared with that in the immediately preceding window. The response return is a new dependent variable which offers a novel and useful way of looking at operant behavior, especially at the molecular level of analysis. The response–return series is a near‐instantaneous measure of an organism's dynamic preferences for each of two alternatives. Analyzing such a series requires time‐analytic techniques, including Auto‐Regressive Conditional Heteroskedastic (ARCH) models. We illustrate these techniques by analyzing choices between combinations of arithmetic and exponential variable‐interval schedules with pigeon subjects. All response–return series were well‐fitted by one of three ARCH‐family models. The fitted models were differentially sensitive to transition versus steady‐state data samples. The particular insights that the ARCH analyses offer are improved understanding of the effects of the instantaneous effects of reinforcers and their absence, of how the distribution of reinforcers in time affects choice, and of the differences between choice in transition and at steady state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study revealed that, the control choice have both short-term and long-term effects and that the short-term effects increased, when the reinforcer ratios arranged were more extreme. The regular effects on preference of individual reinforces are not solely the results of rapidly changing contingencies.

Treatment integrity is the extent to which interventionists implement treatment procedures as prescribed. The majority of treatment integrity research involving discrete-trial teaching (DTT) reports an overall score summarizing integrity across procedural components. Because DTT is a procedure consisting of multiple steps, practitioners may find it helpful to report integrity data separately for each component (i.e., component integrity). Recent research has found that high levels of overall integrity are not always representative of high integrity for individual treatment components. The purpose of this study was to assess component integrity of DTT programs occurring in the natural environment with a specific emphasis on identifying integrity errors for an error-correction procedure consisting of remedial trials. The results showed that high overall levels of integrity did not correspond to high levels of integrity for the remedial trial portion of the error-correction procedures. We discuss the implications of the results for research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrete ‐ trial teaching is a strategy frequently used to teach functional skills to individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Research has shown that the within ‐ trial components of the procedure should be administered with ≥90% treatment integrity to facilitate optimal learning. Usually within ‐ trial treatment integrity is measured using whole ‐ session methods such as percentage of trials correctly administered. This study demonstrated one ‐ step Markov transition matrices as a method of assessing within ‐ trial treatment integrity. All components of discrete trials were coded and time ‐ stamped from video recordings of therapist–learner dyads in their typical setting (home or school). Several types of within ‐ trial treatment integrity errors were identified using the Markov transition matrices, error sequences that could not be identified using a percentage correct analysis. Better identification of errors has the potential both to enhance treatment integrity and to gain efficiency by targeted retraining of therapists. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article talks about melioration theory, a theory in psychology used as an alternative to the matching law. It informs that the theory is used as an explanation for why an organism makes choices based on the rewards or reinforcers it receives terminology and the range of procedures that constitute dependent scheduling.

Objectives The socio-economic impact from age-related mental decline is escalating. Supplementation of functional foods for sustaining mental health is desirable. We examined the effect of long-term supplementation of complex milk lipid concentrate (CMLc), mixed dairy phospholipids, on memory and associated vascular and neuronal changes in aged rats. Methods Fisher/Norway Brown rats were used. Two groups of aged rats (24 months) were fed with either gelatin-formulated CMLc or blank gelatin as the control, for 4 months. To determine age-related changes, a young group (5 months) was also fed with blank gelatin. Morris water maze tests were carried out after the supplementation and brain tissues were collected for biological analysis. Results The aged control rats learnt to locate the platform slower than the young control rats during acquisition trials (*P < 0.05), and made fewer entries to and more initial heading errors from the platform zone during testing trials (*P < 0.05). The CMLc supplementation improved memory by showing the reduced initial heading errors in a delayed probe trial (#P < 0.05). We also found that the aged rats with CMLc supplementation improved vascular density, dopamine output, and neuroplasticity (#P < 0.05) in the brain regions involved in memory compared with that of the aged control rats. Discussion The data suggested that the supplementation of CMLc during the early stage of brain aging may prevent memory decline possibly through improving vascular and neuronal function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]