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HUMAN PERFORMANCE ON CONJUNCTIVE FIXED‐INTERVAL FIXED‐RATIO SCHEDULES
Author(s) -
Duvinsky Jerry D.,
Poppen Roger
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.1982.37-243
Subject(s) - task (project management) , lever , schedule , reinforcement , interval (graph theory) , set (abstract data type) , psychology , statistics , mathematics , computer science , social psychology , combinatorics , physics , management , quantum mechanics , economics , programming language , operating system
Eighteen young adults performed a lever‐pulling task for money. Subjects were initially exposed to a fixed‐interval 80‐second schedule and subsequently to one of three conjunctive schedules in which the added fixed‐ratio requirement was set at either 10, 80, or 120 responses. Three fixed‐interval response patterns emerged: high constant rate, intermediate rate, or low rate, with most subjects displaying the last. Conjunctive performance was related to the subjects' prior fixed‐interval patterns and the conjunctive ratio requirements. Low‐rate subjects tended to optimize reinforcement (maximum reinforcers for minimum responses) on conjunctive schedules. Response rate was directly related to ratio requirements. Subjects' performance closely corresponded to their verbal statements of the contingencies.