Premium
INDUCED ATTACK DURING MULTIPLE FIXED‐RATIO, VARIABLE‐RATIO SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT 1
Author(s) -
Webbe Frank M.,
DeWeese Jo,
Malagodi E. F.
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.1974.22-197
Subject(s) - reinforcement , variable (mathematics) , computer science , psychology , mathematics , social psychology , mathematical analysis
Two pigeons were exposed to a multiple schedule of reinforcement: in the presence of one discriminative stimulus, key pecks produced grain according to a fixed‐ratio schedule; Final Acceptance in the presence of a second discriminative stimulus, key pecks produced grain according to a variable‐ratio schedule. The key‐peck requirements in the two components were increased in successive stages from 50 to 125 responses. Live target pigeons were restrained at the rear of the chamber. Attacks against the targets were automatically recorded, and a variety of measures of attack behavior were taken. Attacks, when they occurred, always followed grain presentation. All measures revealed higher levels of attack during the fixed‐ratio component at all parameter values. All measures generally increased with increases in fixed‐ratio values with both birds, and with increases in variable‐ratio values with one bird. With the other bird, only the per cent of reinforcements followed by attack increased with increases in variable‐ratio value; Final Acceptance all other measures first increased and then decreased. Both increasing and bitonic functions relating induced attack to schedule parameters have been reported in experiments usually employing a single measure of attack. The measures have varied widely among these experiments. It is suggested that further studies of induced attack examine a wider range of schedule parameters and that relationships among measures be studied.