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LATENCY AND FREQUENCY OF RESPONDING UNDER DISCRETE‐TRIAL FIXED‐INTERVAL SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT 1
Author(s) -
Hienz Robert D.,
Eckerman David A.
Publication year - 1974
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.1974.21-341
Subject(s) - latency (audio) , pecking order , interval (graph theory) , reinforcement , statistics , mathematics , computer science , psychology , combinatorics , social psychology , biology , telecommunications , evolutionary biology
Pigeons' key pecking was studied under a number of discrete‐trial fixed‐interval schedules of food reinforcement. Discrete trials were presented by briefly illuminating the keylight repetitively throughout the interreinforcement interval. A response latency counterpart to the fixed‐interval scallop was found, latency showing a gradual, negatively accelerated decrease across the interval. This latency pattern was largely invariant across changes in fixed‐interval length, number of trials per interval, and maximum trial duration. Frequency of responding during early trials in the intervals varied, however, with different schedule parameters, being directly related to fixed‐interval length, inversely related to number of trials, and complexly affected by conjoint variations of fixed‐interval length and number of trials. Response latency thus was found to be simply related to elapsed time during the interval while response frequency was complexly determined by other factors as well.