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SECOND‐ORDER SCHEDULES WITH FIXED‐RATIO COMPONENTS: VARIATION OF COMPONENT SIZE 1
Author(s) -
Lee Julia K.,
Gollub Lewis R.
Publication year - 1971
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.1971.15-303
Subject(s) - component (thermodynamics) , variation (astronomy) , computer science , order (exchange) , statistics , mathematics , physics , finance , astrophysics , economics , thermodynamics
Key pecking by pigeons was reinforced with food under second‐order schedules with fixedratio units. A constant total number of key pecks was required for reinforcement under each condition, but the size and, inversely, number of fixed‐ratio components were varied. The total response requirement of 256 pecks was divided into fixed‐ratio units of 128, 64, 32, 8, and 2 responses. A brief stimulus, which always preceded food reinforcement, was presented upon completion of each fixed‐ratio unit. Under most conditions, the pattern of within‐unit responding was typical of that under simple fixed‐ratio schedules. Overall response rate was an inverted U‐shaped function of component size. That is, response rates were highest under moderate sized units (fixed ratio 128 and 64). This relationship is consistent with previous determinations of rate as a function of fixed‐ratio value for simple fixed‐ratio schedules.