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Cross-Motivational Choice: A Comparison Of Delay Reduction And Behavioral Systems Theories, Jorie E. Duttlinger '92
Cross-Motivational Choice: A Comparison Of Delay Reduction And Behavioral Systems Theories, Jorie E. Duttlinger '92
Honors Projects
Choice, the simple allocation of responses amongst alternatives, has been extensively studied in the past. Most often, choice has been studied on concurrent variable interval schedules. A variety of quantitative models, including matching, behavioral economics, and momentary maximizing, have had varying degrees of success in accounting for choice behavior. The present study examined predictions of two more recent theories, behavior systems theory and delay reduction theory. Rats were deprived of both food and water and were exposed to a "cross-motivational" choice, in which one alternative produced food, the other water. Periodically, the animal was given the opportunity to change its …
Learning Disabled Students' Performance On The Child Behavior Checklist, Dawn Wright '92
Learning Disabled Students' Performance On The Child Behavior Checklist, Dawn Wright '92
Honors Projects
The research to date on the behavioral and emotional problems of learning disabled students has focused mainly on young boys. A majority of the studies in this area have been done by Michael Epstein (Epstein, Cullinan, & Rosemier, 1983; Epstein & Cullinan, 1984; Epstein, Cullinan, & Neiminen, 1984; Epstein, Bursack, & Cullinan, 1985; Epstein, Cullinan, & Lloyd, 1986). He used the Behavior Problem Checklist (Quay & Peterson, 1987) to determine which behavioral/emotional items, rated by teachers of learning disabled students, loaded on certain factors. However, this instrument has been shown to be relatively unreliable; therefore, the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach …
Demographic And Background Characteristics Of Learning Disabled Adults, Pamela S. Wiegartz '92
Demographic And Background Characteristics Of Learning Disabled Adults, Pamela S. Wiegartz '92
Honors Projects
Although learning disabilities (LD) are widely discussed in the literature, many aspects of the field remain ambiguous and confusing. The validity of research on LD is compromised by the use of discrepant definitions. These incompatible and often insufficient criteria also make it nearly impossible to draw generalizable conclusions from many studies. Further , there has been surprisingly little research done describing demographic characteristics of the LD population, with most of these studies focusing on children. Prior studies have indicated correlations between learning disabilities and such factors as handedness, gender, prior family history of the disorder and birth trauma. The present …
Extinction-Induced Aggression In Laboratory Rats, Amy K. Rajala '92
Extinction-Induced Aggression In Laboratory Rats, Amy K. Rajala '92
Honors Projects
In a study by Azrin et al. (1966), it was found that pigeons attacked other pigeons when the transition from a food reinforcement schedule to an extinction schedule was employed. These aggressive behaviors that appear due to the implementation of an extinction schedule, however, has not been widely studied in the laboratory rat. Examples of the types of phenomena that have been given attention with regard to laboratory rat aggression are male aggression in a mixed-sex colony toward male intruders, attack elicited by the application of aversive stimuli, and female-elicited aggression of male rats living in colonies. The expression of …
Choice, Commitment And Time Horizon, Sandra Lyn '92
Choice, Commitment And Time Horizon, Sandra Lyn '92
Honors Projects
Timberlake, Gawley, and Lucas (1986) found that rats were unable to anticipate future resources (food) that were delayed by 16 minutes or more. The 15 minute period during which the rats were able to anticipate food which would be available in the future IS called the time horizon. The present experiment sought an explanation of the fact that the animals in the Timberlake et al (1986) study could not anticipate free food beyond 15 minutes and to also examine whether the time horizon of rats can be lengthened. In most sessions, a single response bar (left or right) was presented …
The Autoshaping Procedure As A Residual Block Clock, James Dougan, James Dinsmoor, John Pfister, Edda Thiels
The Autoshaping Procedure As A Residual Block Clock, James Dougan, James Dinsmoor, John Pfister, Edda Thiels
Scholarship
In the first experiment, 4 pigeons were each presented with a recurring sequence of four key colors followed by the delivery of grain (block clock). Once the rate of pecking had stabilized, three of the colors were replaced, during different series of sessions, by a darkening of the key. The rate of pecking was reduced within those segments of the interval between deliveries of food during which the key was dark; when the key was dark during the final portion of the interval, rates were reduced throughout the entire interval. In the second experiment, 3 new pigeons were exposed to …
Inelastic Supply: An Economic Approach To Simple Interval Schedule, James Dougan
Inelastic Supply: An Economic Approach To Simple Interval Schedule, James Dougan
Scholarship
Economic theory predicts an inverse relationship between the quantity of a commodity supplied to the marketplace and the equilibrium market price of that commodity. This prediction was tested in three experiments. Pigeons responded on simple variable-interval schedules, and quantity of reinforcement supplied was varied in a different way in each experiment. In Experiment 1, quantity supplied was varied by manipulating reinforcement rate while keeping session length constant. In Experiment 2, quantity supplied was varied by manipulating reinforcement rate while keeping reinforcers per session constant. In Experiment 3, quantity supplied was varied by manipulating reinforcer magnitude while keeping number of reinforcers …