Abstract
Eight albino rats were trained to bar-press for sucrose solution. After training procedures involving either response-contingent or non-contingent pairings of two successive stimuli and reinforcement, the first temporal stimulus proved to be the stronger secondary reinforcer though temporally more distant from primary reinforcement during training. No difference was found between the two training methods, though previous successful and unsuccessful studies of the effect are dichotomized in this respect.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Armus, H. L., & Garlich, M. M. Secondary reinforcement strength as a function of schedule of primary reinforcement. J. comp. physiol. Psychol., 1961, 54, 56–58.
Armus, H. L., Guinan, J. F., Crowell, R. A., Schroeder, S. R., Rudge, J. A., & Comtois, D. R. Secondary reinforcement strength and primary reinforcement schedule: Single group technique. J. comp. physiol: Psychol., 1964, 57, 313–315.
Bersh, P. J. The influence of two variables upon the establishment of a secondary reinforcer for operant responses. J. exp. Psychol., 1951, 41, 62–73.
Egger, M. D., & Miller, N. E. Secondary reinforcement in rats as a function of information value and reliability of the stimulus. J. exp. Psychol., 1962, 64, 97–104.
Egger, M. D., & Miller, N. E. When is reward reinforcing?: An experimental study of the information hypothesis. J. comp. physiol. Psychol., 1963, 56, 132–137.
Forrin, B. Secondary reinforcing properties of informative and non-informative stimuli: Reply to Seligman. Psychon. Sci., 1966, 5, 300.
Jenkins, W. O. A temporal gradient of derived reinforcement. Amer. J. Psychol., 1950, 63, 237–243.
McKeever, B., & Forrin, B. Secondary reinforcing properties of informative and non-informative stimuli. Psychon. Sci., 1966, 4, 115–116.
Seligman, M. E. P. CS redundancy and secondary punishment. J. exp. Psychol., 1966a, 72, 546–550.
Seligman, M. E. P. Comment on McKeever and Forrin. Psychon. Sci., 1966b, 5, 299.
Wickens, D. D., Born, D. G., & Wickens, C. D. Response strength to a compound conditioned stimulus and its elements as a function of the element interstimulus interval. J. comp. physiol. Psychol., 1963, 56, 727–731.
Wickens, D. D., Gehman, R. S., & Sullivan, S. N. The effect of differential onset time on the conditioned response strength to elements of a stimulus complex. J. exp. Psychol., 1959, 58, 85–93.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McCausland, D.F., Menzer, G.W., Dempsey, T.K. et al. Response-contingent and non-contingent informative and redundant secondary reinforcers. Psychon Sci 8, 293–294 (1967). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03331668
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03331668