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Effect of Reinforcer Magnitude on Performance Maintained by Progressive-Ratio Schedules
- Source :
-
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior . Jan 2009 91(1):75-87. - Publication Year :
- 2009
-
Abstract
- This experiment examined the relationship between reinforcer magnitude and quantitative measures of performance on progressive-ratio schedules. Fifteen rats were trained under a progressive-ratio schedule in seven phases of the experiment in which the volume of a 0.6-M sucrose solution reinforcer was varied within the range 6-300 microliters. Overall response rates in successive ratios conformed to a bitonic equation derived from Killeen's (1994) Mathematical Principles of Reinforcement. The "specific activation" parameter, "a," which is presumed to reflect the incentive value of the reinforcer, was a monotonically increasing function of reinforcer volume; the "response time" parameter,delta, which defines the minimum response time, increased as a function of reinforcer volume; the "currency" parameter, beta, which is presumed to reflect the coupling of responses to the reinforcer, declined as a function of volume. Running response rate (response rate calculated after exclusion of the postreinforcement pause) decayed monotonically as a function of ratio size; the index of curvature of this function increased as a function of reinforcer volume. Postreinforcement pause increased as a function of ratio size. Estimates of "a" derived from overall response rates and postreinforcement pauses showed a modest positive correlation across conditions and between animals. Implications of the results for the quantification of reinforcer value and for the use of progressive-ratio schedules in behavioral neuroscience are discussed. (Contains 1 table and 7 figures.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0022-5002
- Volume :
- 91
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- ERIC
- Journal :
- Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- EJ862906
- Document Type :
- Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2009.91-75