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TIME LIMITS FOR COMPLETING FIXED RATIOS. II. STIMULUS SPECIFICITY 1
Author(s) -
Zeiler Michael D.
Publication year - 1972
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.1972.18-243
Subject(s) - stimulus (psychology) , computer science , psychology , cognitive psychology
Pigeons were exposed to two stimuli that were each correlated with the same fixed‐ratio schedule. During one stimulus, the ratio had to be completed in more than a specified time for food to be presented. During the other, the ratio had to be completed in less than a specified time. Failures to meet the time criterion produced a timeout and reset the ratio. Treating the entire behavioral sequence generated by a fixed‐ratio schedule as a unitary response and scheduling differential reinforcement with respect to the duration of the sequence produced effects comparable to those observed previously with individual responses. The times taken to complete the ratios conformed to the time criteria under both stimulus conditions. Similar effects have been observed with differential reinforcement of the duration of individual responses and in experiments specifying running speed criteria under discrete trial conditions.