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CONCURRENT PERFORMANCES: RATE CONSTANCIES WITHOUT CHANGEOVER DELAYS 1
Author(s) -
Catania A. Charles
Publication year - 1976
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.1976.25-377
Subject(s) - changeover , reinforcement , key (lock) , schedule , psychology , computer science , social psychology , computer security , telecommunications , operating system , transmission (telecommunications)
Pigeons' pecks on two keys were maintained, without changeover delays, by independent variable‐interval schedules of food reinforcement. Four regularly cycling 2‐min components scheduled reinforcement respectively for both keys, left key only, both keys, and right key only. Initially, reinforcement scheduled for one key alone produced more responding on that key than reinforcement scheduled concurrently for both keys. Continued sessions reduced this difference; response rate on a given key approached constancy, or invariance with respect to the performance on and schedule for the other key. When extinction replaced the reinforcement schedule on either key, responding on that key decreased more during components that scheduled reinforcement for the other key than during those that did not. This demonstration that responses on one key were not supported by reinforcers on the other key suggested that the alternation of concurrent responding and either‐key‐alone responding prevented concurrent superstitions from developing.