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SENSITIVITY OF CONDITIONAL‐DISCRIMINATION PERFORMANCE TO WITHIN‐SESSION VARIATION OF REINFORCER FREQUENCY
Author(s) -
Ward Ryan D.,
Odum Amy L.
Publication year - 2008
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.2008.90-301
Subject(s) - reinforcement , psychology , session (web analytics) , sensitivity (control systems) , audiology , statistics , mathematics , computer science , social psychology , medicine , electronic engineering , world wide web , engineering
The present experiment developed a methodology for assessing sensitivity of conditional‐discrimination performance to within‐session variation of reinforcer frequency. Four pigeons responded under a multiple schedule of matching‐to‐sample components in which the ratio of reinforcers for correct S 1 and S2 responses was varied across components within session. Initially, five components, each arranging a different reinforcer‐frequency ratio (from 1:9 to 9:1), were presented randomly within a session. Under this condition, sensitivity to reinforcer frequency was low. Sensitivity failed to improve after extended exposure to this condition, and under a condition in which only three reinforcer‐frequency ratios were varied within session. In a later condition, three reinforcer‐frequency ratios were varied within session, but the reinforcer‐frequency ratio in effect was differentially signaled within each component. Under this condition, values of sensitivity were similar to those traditionally obtained when reinforcer‐frequency ratios for correct responses are varied across conditions. The effects of signaled vs. unsignaled reinforcer‐frequency ratios were replicated in two subsequent conditions. The present procedure could provide a practical alternative to parametric variation of reinforcer frequency across conditions and may be useful in characterizing the effects of a variety of manipulations on steady‐state sensitivity to reinforcer frequency.