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VARIABILITY OF RESPONSE LOCATION ON FIXED‐RATIO AND FIXED‐INTERVAL SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT 1
Author(s) -
Boren John J.,
Moerschbaecher Joseph M.,
Whyte Adrienne A.
Publication year - 1978
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.1978.30-63
Subject(s) - reinforcement , schedule , lever , interval (graph theory) , contrast (vision) , statistics , stereotypy , mathematics , computer science , psychology , artificial intelligence , physics , neuroscience , combinatorics , social psychology , amphetamine , dopamine , operating system , quantum mechanics
Variability of response location was studied in monkeys performing in a six‐lever chamber. Fixed‐ratio schedules, ranging from FR 1 to FR 300, generated a high degree of stereotypy of response location. In contrast, fixed‐interval schedules of comparable reinforcement frequencies (0.06 to 4 minutes) generated much greater variability. These results failed to confirm any simple relationship between response variability and intermittence of reinforcement. Rather, variability seems to be determined by the particular characteristics of the reinforcement schedule.