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SCHEDULE‐INDUCED LOCOMOTOR ACTIVITY IN HUMANS 1
Author(s) -
Muller Philip G.,
Crow Robert E.,
Cheney Carl D.
Publication year - 1979
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.1979.31-83
Subject(s) - locomotor activity , reinforcement , schedule , security token , animal behavior , stimulus (psychology) , psychology , neuroscience , physical medicine and rehabilitation , audiology , computer science , medicine , biology , pharmacology , cognitive psychology , social psychology , computer security , zoology , operating system
In two experiments, humans received tokens either on a fixed‐interval schedule for plunger pulling or various response‐nondependent fixed‐time schedules ranging from 16 to 140 seconds. Locomotor activity such as walking, shifting weight, or pacing was recorded in quarters of the interreinforcement interval to examine the induced characteristics of that behavior in humans. While performance was variable, several characteristics were present that have counterparts in experiments with nonhumans during periodic schedules of food reinforcement: (a) first quarter rates, and sometimes overall rates, of locomotor activity were greater during intervals that terminated in a visual stimulus and token delivery than those without; (b) overall rates of locomotor activity were greater during fixed‐time 16‐second schedules than during fixed‐time 80‐ or 140‐second schedules; (c) rates of locomotor activity decreased during the interreinforcement intervals; (d) locomotor activity was induced by response‐dependent and response‐nondependent token delivery. These results showed that the rate and temporal pattern of locomotor activity can be schedule‐induced in humans.