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COMPARISONS BETWEEN ONE‐KEY AND TWO‐KEY VERSIONS OF THE SINEWAVE SCHEDULE FOR PIGEONS
Author(s) -
Johnson Daniel F.,
Wheeler H. P.
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.1982.38-101
Subject(s) - reinforcement , schedule , sine , waveform , key (lock) , sine wave , pecking order , computer science , power (physics) , statistics , psychology , mathematics , social psychology , telecommunications , engineering , electrical engineering , computer security , radar , geometry , voltage , evolutionary biology , biology , operating system , physics , quantum mechanics
When the rate of reinforcement for pigeons' key pecking varied over time following a sine waveform, performances were more consistent and reliable if a constant‐rate reinforcement schedule was concurrently available on a second key than if only the sinewave‐varying reinforcement schedule was available. In the two‐key version, response rates clearly followed varying reinforcement rates with the same frequency, with no phase lag, and without breaks. In both versions, pecking rate was a power function of reinforcement rate. Sinewave‐schedule performance waveforms qualified for engineering methods of frequency analysis and met criteria for a standard measurement system.