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TEMPORAL CONTEXT IN CONCURRENT CHAINS: I. TERMINAL‐LINK DURATION
Author(s) -
Grace Randolph C.
Publication year - 2004
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.2004.81-215
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , statistics , constant (computer programming) , mathematics , duration (music) , schedule , function (biology) , range (aeronautics) , preference , combinatorics , zoology , physics , computer science , materials science , biology , paleontology , acoustics , composite material , programming language , operating system , evolutionary biology
Two experiments are reported in which the ratio of the average times spent in the terminal and initial links ( Tt / Ti ) in concurrent chains was varied. In Experiment 1, pigeons responded in a three‐component procedure in which terminal‐link variable‐interval schedules were in constant ratio, but their average duration increased across components by a factor of two. The log initial‐link response ratio was a negatively accelerated function of Tt / Ti . Overall, the data were well described by Grace's (1994) contextual choice model (CCM) with temporal context represented as ( Tt / Ti ) k or 2 Tt /( Tt + Ti ), and by Mazur's (2001) hyperbolic value‐added model (HVA), with each model accounting for approximately 93% of the variance. In Experiment 2, fixed‐parameter predictions for each model were generated, based on the data from Experiment 1, for conditions in which Tt / Ti was varied over a more extreme range. Data were consistent with the predictions of CCM with temporal context represented as 2 Tt /( Tt 1 Ti ) and to a lesser extent as ( Tt / Ti ) k , but not with HVA. Overall, these results suggest that preference increases as a hyperbolic function of Tt / Ti when terminal‐link duration is increased relative to initial‐link duration, with the terminal‐link schedule ratio held constant.