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SEPARATING THE EFFECTS OF INTERREINFORCEMENT TIME AND NUMBER OF INTERREINFORCEMENT RESPONSES 1
Author(s) -
Neuringer Allen J.,
Schneider Bruce A.
Publication year - 1968
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.1968.11-661
Subject(s) - blackout , reinforcement , schedule , response time , interval (graph theory) , statistics , computer science , mathematics , psychology , social psychology , power (physics) , physics , combinatorics , electric power system , quantum mechanics , operating system , computer graphics (images)
The relative importance of interreinforcement time and interreinforcement responses was evaluated by varying each independently. To do this, a blackout was presented after each non‐reinforced response under both fixed‐ratio and fixed‐interval schedules of reinforcement. Manipulating the blackout duration under the fixed‐ratio schedule caused interreinforcement time to vary without affecting the number of interreinforcement responses. Pigeons' post‐reinforcement and post‐blackout response latencies were found to increase linearly with interreinforcement time. Under the fixed‐interval schedule, the same blackout manipulations changed the number of interreinforcement responses without affecting interreinforcement time. Post‐reinforcement and post‐blackout response latencies under this condition were approximately constant. These results suggest that responding is controlled by interreinforcement time and is not influenced by the number of responses emitted between reinforcements.