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Local Preference in Concurrent Schedules: The Effects of Reinforcer Sequences
- Source :
-
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior . Jul 2005 84(1):37-64. - Publication Year :
- 2005
-
Abstract
- We investigated the effects that sequences of reinforcers obtained from the same response key have on local preference in concurrent variable-interval schedules with pigeons as subjects. With an overall reinforcer rate of one every 27 s, on average, reinforcers were scheduled dependently, and the probability that a reinforcer would be arranged on the same alternative as the previous reinforcer was manipulated. Throughout the experiment, the overall reinforcer ratio was 1:1, but across conditions we varied the average lengths of same-key reinforcer sequences by varying this conditional probability from 0 to 1. Thus, in some conditions, reinforcer locations changed frequently, whereas in others there tended to be very long sequences of same-key reinforcers. 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. Some effects of reinforcers are at least partly to be accounted for by their signaling subsequent reinforcer locations. (Contains 1 table and 16 figures.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0022-5002
- Volume :
- 84
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- ERIC
- Journal :
- Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- EJ995305
- Document Type :
- Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research