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SIGNALLED REINFORCEMENT AND MULTIPLE SCHEDULES 1
Author(s) -
Marcucella Henry
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.1976.26-199
Subject(s) - reinforcement , psychology , schedule , extinction (optical mineralogy) , variable (mathematics) , stimulus (psychology) , audiology , statistics , cognitive psychology , mathematics , social psychology , computer science , optics , medicine , physics , mathematical analysis , operating system
The responses of four pigeons were first reinforced in the presence of two different wavelengths (green and red) on a two‐ply multiple schedule with identical variable‐interval 3‐min schedules of reinforcement associated with each component. While the constant‐component reinforcement schedule remained unchanged during the experiment, the schedule associated with the variable component was changed to (1) signalled variable time, (2) unsignalled variable time, or (3) signalled variable interval. The probability with which the availability of the reinforcer was signalled in the variable‐interval schedules was either 0.5 or 1.0. Positive contrast occurred in both signalled variable‐interval and variable‐time schedules, but only when the availability of all the variable‐component reinforcers was signalled. Signalling the availability of only 50% of the reinforcers in signalled variable‐interval schedules resulted in negative induction. The present data suggest that positive behavioral contrast resulting from signalled reinforcer availability is due to the presence of an extinction‐correlated stimulus.