Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of point-loss response cost on the responding under fixed-interval (FI) schedules in humans. Responses by undergraduates produced points exchangeable for money arranged according to an FI 90-s schedule (Experiment 1) or a multiple FI 30-s FI 60-s FI 90-s schedule (Experiment 2). Following this baseline, a contingency of response cost, under which responses lost points, was introduced then withdrawn. Response rates with the response cost were lower than those during the baseline. Following termination of the response cost contingency, the final response rates were again lower than those during the baseline (Experiments 1 and 2). Such low-rate responding was not found for participants who were exposed only to no-cost FI schedules (Experiment 2). These results demonstrate an irreversible effect of response cost. Generality and implications of the findings were discussed in the context of the research in punishment and human schedule performance.
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All procedures performed involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. The present experiments were reviewed and received clearance from Osaka Kyoiku University research committee, where the experiments were conducted. Informed consent and publication of findings was provided in writing by participants.
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The author thanks Professor Masato Ito for his comments and suggestions on an earlier version of the article, and Mia Nakanishi for her assistance in collecting the data.
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Appendices
Appendix A
Instructions given to participants in Experiment 1 (translated from Japanese into English).
Your task is to earn as many points as you can. Points will be shown in the top left of the screen of the display monitor. A hundred points are worth 0.5 yen. In addition, you will be paid 50 yen for every hour you spend in the experiment. Total payment will be made at the end of the experiment. Points will be sometimes subtracted. If the balance is negative at the end of the experiment, you will not be paid for the points.
A white circle will be shown in the middle left of the screen. If you touch the circle, you may earn points. Every touch, however, may not result in accumulating points.
The words "READY" and "GO" will appear in sequence on the screen. When the word "GO" disappears, do the task until the words "GAME OVER” appear on the screen.
Appendix B
Instructions given to participants in Experiment 2 (translated from Japanese into English).
Your task is to earn as many points as you can. A hundred points are worth 5 yen. Payment for the points will be made at the end of each visit. In addition, you will be paid 200 yen for every 90 min you spend in the experiment. Payment for participation will be made at the end of the last visit.
Points will be sometimes subtracted. If the balance is negative at the end of the day, you will not be paid for the points.
The only key you may press is “D.” Please do not touch any other keys.
A colored square and points will be shown on the screen. If you press “D” key, points may increase. Every press, however, may not result in accumulating points.
The words "READY" and "GO" will appear in sequence on the screen. When the word "GO" disappears and the colored square and points appear, the task will start. The task will continue until the words "GAME OVER” appear on the screen.
During the task, the word “WAIT” may appear on the screen. When this word appears, please wait until the colored square reappears.
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Okouchi, H. An Irreversible Effect of Response Cost on Human Fixed-Interval Responding. Psychol Rec 74, 45–58 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-023-00574-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-023-00574-w