Abstract
In the first experiment, pigeons were given a choice between two fixed-interval 40-sec schedules. Varying the pause length by introducing stimulus changes at various times in the intervals had no effect on choice behavior. In the second experiment, pigeons were given a choice between two delays of reinforcement, and preference for the shorter delay was found to be more extreme than predicted by the matching relation. Taken together, the experiments show that preference for a schedule is more dependent on the immediacy of reinforcement than on the presence or nature of responding during the schedule chosen, and that in fixed delays of reinforcement, just as in fixed intervals, preference is more extreme than predicted from matching.
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This research was conducted with the support of NSF Grants GB 3121 and GB 3723 while I was an NIMH Predoctoral Fellow at Harvard University.
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Killeen, P. Response patterns as a factor in choice. Psychon Sci 22, 23–24 (1971). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335919
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335919