Abstract
Blocking was investigated in a free-operant procedure by presenting a response-contingent signal prior to reinforcer delivery. At issue was the way in which blocking effects previously reported with this procedure are related to conditioned reinforcement effects, also previously found with similar procedures. Signal presentation decreased response rate when delay of reinforcement was 0 or .5 sec, but the signal increased response rate when the delay of reinforcement was increased to 3 sec. Thus, which effect (blocking or conditioned reinforcement) occurred depended critically on the response-reinforcer interval.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Iversen, I. H. Response interactions with signalled delay of reinforcement.Behaviour Analysis Letters, 1981,1, 3–9.
Kamin, L. J. Predictability, surprise, attention, and conditioning. In B. Campbell & R. Church (Eds.),Punishment and aversive behavior. New York: Appleton-Crofts, 1969.
Mackintosh, N. J., &Dickinson, A. Instrumental (type II) conditioning. In A. Dickinson & R. Boakes (Eds.),Mechanisms of learning and motivation: A memorial volume to Jerzy Konorski. Hillsdale, N.J: Erlbaum, 1979.
Pearce, J. J., &Hall, B. Overshadowing of instrumental conditioning of a lever press response by a more valid predictor of reinforcement.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 1978,4, 356–367.
Pierce, C. H., Hanford, P. V., &Zimmerman, J. Effects of different delay-of-reinforcement procedures on variable-interval responding.Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1972,18, 141–146.
Richards, R. W. Reinforcement delay: Some effects on behavioral contrast.Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1972,17, 381–394.
Richards, R. W. A comparison of signalled and unsignalled delay of reinforcement.Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1981,35, 145–152.
Richards, R. W., &Hittesdorf, W. M. Inhibitory stimulus control under conditions of signalled and unsignalled delay of reinforcement.Psychological Record, 1978,28, 615–625.
St. Claire-Smith, R. J. The overshadowing and blocking of punishment.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1979,31, 51–61. (a)
St. Claire-Smith, R. J. The overshadowing of instrumental conditioning by a stimulus that predicts reinforcement better than the response.Animal Learning & Behavior, 1979,7, 224–228.(b)
Sizemore, O. J., &Lattal, K. A. Unsignalled delay of reinforcement in variable-interval schedules.Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1978,30, 169–175.
Williams, B. A. The blocking of reinforcement control.Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1975,24, 215–225.
Williams, B. A. The effects of unsignalled delayed reinforcement.Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1976,26, 441–449.
Williams, B. A. Information effects on the response-reinforcer association.Animal Learning & Behavior, 1978,6, 371–379.
Williams, B. A. Blocking the response-reinforcer association. In M. Commons, A. Wagner, & R. J. Herrnstein (Eds.),Harvard Symposium on Quantitative Analyses of Behavior: Acquisition. Cambridge, Mass: Ballinger Press, in press.
Zanich, M. L., &Fowler, H. Transfer from Pavlovian appetitive to instrumental appetitive conditioning: Signalling versus discrepancy interpretations.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 1978,4, 37–49.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The present study was previously reported at the 1979 meeting of the Psychonomic Society.
Preparation of the manuscript was supported by NIMH Research Grant ROI MH-35572-01.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Williams, B.A., Heyneman, N. Multiple determinants of “blocking” effects on operant behavior. Animal Learning & Behavior 10, 72–76 (1982). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03212049
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03212049