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INDEPENDENCE OF RESPONSE FORCE AND REINFORCEMENT RATE ON CONCURRENT VARIABLE‐INTERVAL SCHEDULE PERFORMANCE
Author(s) -
Hunter Ian,
Davison Michael
Publication year - 1982
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.1982.37-183
Subject(s) - matching law , reinforcement , independence (probability theory) , schedule , statistics , preference , matching (statistics) , interval (graph theory) , variable (mathematics) , function (biology) , computer science , psychology , mathematics , social psychology , combinatorics , mathematical analysis , evolutionary biology , biology , operating system
Five pigeons were trained over 43 experimental conditions on a variety of concurrent variable‐interval schedules on which the forces required on the response keys were varied. The results were well described by the generalized matching law with log reinforcement ratios and log force ratios exerting independent (noninteractive) effects on preference. A further analysis using the Akaike criterion, an information‐theoretic measure of the efficiency of a model, showed that overall reinforcement rate and overall force requirement did not affect preference. Unlike reinforcement rate changes, force requirement increases did not change the response rate on the alternate key, and an extension of Herrnstein's absolute response rate function for force variation on a single variable‐interval schedule is suggested.