Abstract
Six pigeons were shifted to a two-component (constant and variable reinforcement magnitude) multiple schedule following fixed-interval (FI) training to a constant magnitude. In the variable component, cues associated with the smaller of two reinforcement levels eventually controlled longer pausing and lower overall response rates. In the constant component, five of six subjects’ performance evidenced direct relationships between preceding reinforcement and pausing that appeared early and persisted through training. Largest differences in response distribution in the constant component occurred primarily in the middle portions of the FI. It was concluded that pause differences due to preceding reinforcement magnitude persist for a sustained period in a setting in which cued magnitude is contrasted in close temporal proximity.
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This research was conducted as part of a doctoral dissertation titled “Effects of Preceding Reinforcement on FI Performance” submitted to the Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Some of the data were presented at the 1981 meeting of the Southwestern Psychological Association. I thank Donald Meltzer for his guidance and chairing the dissertation committee.
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Howerton, L., Meltzer, D. Pigeons’ FI behavior following signaled reinforcement duration. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 21, 161–163 (1983). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329983
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329983