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CONTROL RATE OF RESPONSE OR REINFORCEMENT AND AMPHETAMINE'S EFFECT ON BEHAVIOR
Author(s) -
Lucki Irwin,
DeLong Robert E.
Publication year - 1983
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.1983.40-123
Subject(s) - amphetamine , reinforcement , dextroamphetamine , psychology , control (management) , computer science , neuroscience , artificial intelligence , social psychology , dopamine
The roles of control response rate and reinforcement frequency in producing amphetamine's effect on operant behavior were evaluated independently in rats. Two multiple schedules were arranged in which one variable, either response rate or reinforcement frequency, was held constant and the other variable manipulated. A multiple differential‐reinforcement‐of‐low‐rate seven‐second yoked variable‐interval schedule was used to equate reinforcement frequencies at different control response rates between multiple‐schedule components. Amphetamine increased responding under the differential‐reinforcement‐of‐low‐rate component but decreased responding under the variable‐interval component. In contrast, amphetamine decreased responding equivalently between components of a multiple random‐ratio schedule that produced similar control response rates at different reinforcement frequencies. The results provide experimental support to the rate‐dependency principle that control rate of responding is an important determinant of amphetamine's effect on operant behavior.