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Full-Text Articles in Psychology
Jackpot Reinforcers And The Operant Behavior Of Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens), Jackson Carter Fox
Jackpot Reinforcers And The Operant Behavior Of Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens), Jackson Carter Fox
Capstones and Honors Theses
Jackpot reinforcers are an intriguing yet seldom studied area of operant conditioning with many potential applications in the scope of behavioral research. In this study, two Siamese fighting fish (Betta s.) were presented with the visual stimulus of a mirror upon completion of a target response, providing the opportunity to display an agonistic behavior towards their own mirror image. This opportunity for agonistic display to the mirror served as the primary reinforcer of the target response, which was simply swimming in a particular direction over a bar suspended in the center of the tank. This over-the-bar swimming was …
Effects Of Nonexamples On Concept Formation, Catherine Louise Williams
Effects Of Nonexamples On Concept Formation, Catherine Louise Williams
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Concept formation is affected by the examples and nonexamples provided during training, but the degree to which examples and nonexamples should differ is unknown. Two experiments compared concept formation when different kinds of nonexamples were used during training. Both experiments included a within-subject comparison of concept formation following three training conditions: a) nonexamples that were more similar to the examples, b) nonexamples that are less similar to the examples, and c) no nonexamples. Arbitrary concepts were trained in Experiment 1 and concepts akin to those that could be taught in a classroom were trained in Experiment 2. Before and after …
Comparing Common Procedures Used To Manipulate Reinforcer Magnitude, Michael Steele Yencha
Comparing Common Procedures Used To Manipulate Reinforcer Magnitude, Michael Steele Yencha
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Reinforcer magnitude is one of several parameters of reinforcement. In the present study, it referred to the quantitative value of the reinforcer in terms of duration of access to a finite supply of grain pellets. Pigeons responded on concurrent-chain schedules earning one of several reinforcer durations depending on response allocation and experimental conditions. Experiment 1 consisted of relatively long reinforcer durations available for completing one chain compared to relatively short durations available on the other. Response allocation in the initial link determined the reinforcer duration, but responses in the terminal link produced no change in the upcoming reinforcer. This arrangement …
Effects Of Blended Integrity Failures On Reinforcement-Based Interventuions, Stephanie Hope Jones
Effects Of Blended Integrity Failures On Reinforcement-Based Interventuions, Stephanie Hope Jones
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Reinforcement-based interventions reduce problematic behavior when implemented as designed. However, the effectiveness of these interventions may decrease when deviations from treatment protocols (i.e., treatment-integrity errors) occur. Treatment-integrity errors differentially impact reinforcement-based interventions based on multiple factors, including how frequently errors occur and the intervention type. Even nominally acceptable integrity values (e.g., 80%) may be detrimental depending on the intervention. To evaluate this possibility and directly compare the effectiveness of multiple reinforcement-based interventions, we conducted two within-subject evaluations using laboratory arrangements. For both experiments, we recruited four undergraduate students to participate in a computer task that involved clicking on moving circles …