Abstract
In an experiment that investigated the effects of a low-rate response requirement on the strength of conditioned reinforcing stimuli, pigeons’ observing responses (treadle presses) produced stimuli associated with either a short (10-sec) or a long (30-sec) schedule component. Naive pigeons were exposed to a mixed schedule with two differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) components, which were later replaced by fixed-time (FT) components. Differ- ential observing behavior was not maintained during the DRO procedure, but preference was demonstrated for the shortest FT component stimulus. Fantino’s delay-reduction hypothesis was supported. However, the absence of differential observing under the DRO procedure suggests that either the low-rate response requirement or the lack of specific stimuli that unambiguously predict reinforcement delivery interfered with the establishment of the schedule stimuli as conditioned reinforcers.
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This paper is based on a thesis submitted by the first author to the graduate school of Utah State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the MS degree in Psychology.
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Myers, A.M., Grossman, E.K. Factors affecting the conditioned reinforcing strength of stimuli in differential reinforcement of other behavior and fixed-time schedules. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 16, 27–30 (1980). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03337085
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03337085