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RESPONSE COST AND THE AVERSIVE CONTROL OF HUMAN OPERANT BEHAVIOR 1
Author(s) -
Weiner Harold
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.1963.6-415
Subject(s) - schedule , avoidance learning , operant conditioning , avoidance response , aversive stimulus , psychology , avoidance behaviour , control (management) , escape response , point (geometry) , social psychology , reinforcement , computer science , developmental psychology , neuroscience , artificial intelligence , mathematics , geometry , operating system
The effects of cost (point‐loss per response) upon human avoidance, escape, and avoidance‐escape behavior maintained by PLPs (point‐loss periods) were investigated. Cost had a marked but differentially suppressive effect upon responding under all schedules. The greatest number of PLPs taken under cost occurred on the escape schedule. In most instances PLPs were more frequent on the avoidance‐escape schedule than on the avoidance schedule under cost. Inferior avoidance performance appeared only under cost conditions. Under no‐cost, all subjects ( S s) successfully avoided all PLPs after the first hour of conditioning. These results indicate that the development and maintenance of human avoidance and escape behavior may, in part, be dependent upon response cost conditions. Aversive control of human operant behavior may be limited without an adequate specification of response‐cost conditions.