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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESPONSE RATE AND REINFORCEMENT FREQUENCY IN VARIABLE‐INTERVAL SCHEDULES: II. EFFECT OF THE VOLUME OF SUCROSE REINFORCEMENT
Author(s) -
Bradshaw C. M.,
Ruddle H. V.,
Szabadi E.
Publication year - 1981
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.1981.35-263
Subject(s) - reinforcement , volume (thermodynamics) , reinforcement learning , interval (graph theory) , sucrose , computer science , psychology , artificial intelligence , mathematics , social psychology , biology , food science , combinatorics , quantum mechanics , physics
Three rats were exposed to variable‐interval schedules specifying a range of different reinforcement frequencies, using three different volumes of .32 molar sucrose (.10, .05, and .02 milliliters) as the reinforcer. With each of the three volumes, the rates of responding of all three rats were increasing, negatively accelerated functions of reinforcement frequency, the data conforming closely to Herrnstein's equation. In each rat the value of the constant K H , which expresses the reinforcement frequency needed to obtain the half‐maximal response rate, increased with decreasing reinforcer volume, the values obtained with .02 milliliters being significantly greater than the values obtained with .10 milliliters. The values of the constant R max , which expresses the theoretical maximum response rate, were not systematically related to reinforcer volume. The effect of reinforcer volume upon the relationship between response rate and reinforcement frequency is thus different from the effect of the concentration of sucrose reinforcement: In a previous experiment (Bradshaw, Szabadi, & Bevan, 1978) it was found that sucrose concentration influenced the values of both constants, R max increasing and K H decreasing with increasing sucrose concentration.