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EFFECTS OF A DRL CONTINGENCY ADDED TO A FIXED‐INTERVAL REINFORCEMENT SCHEDULE 1
Author(s) -
Farmer John,
Schoenfeld W. N.
Publication year - 1964
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.1964.7-391
Subject(s) - reinforcement , interval (graph theory) , schedule , mathematics , statistics , computer science , combinatorics , structural engineering , engineering , operating system
Following 30 days of reinforcement for the bar press response of two white rats on 30‐sec fixed‐interval (FI), a DRL component was added so that a minimal interresponse time (IRT) for the reinforced response, in addition to the FI variable, was necessary for reinforcement. Marked control over response rate by the superimposed DRL requirement was demonstrated by an inverse hyperbolic function as the DRL component was increased from 1 to 24 sec within the constant 30‐sec FI interval. Interresponse time and post‐reinforcement (post‐S R ) “break” distributions taken at one experimental point (DRL = 24 sec) suggested that a more precise temporal discrimination was initiated by an S R than by a response, since the relative frequency of a sequence of two reinforced responses appeared greater than that of a sequence of a non‐reinforced response followed by a reinforced one. This latter finding was confirmed with new animals in a follow‐up experiment employing a conventional 24‐sec DRL schedule.