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Full-Text Articles in Psychology
Pigeons Reacting To Transitions From Rich To Lean Schedules Of Reinforcement: Analyses Based On Video Recordings, Erin Michelle Huffman
Pigeons Reacting To Transitions From Rich To Lean Schedules Of Reinforcement: Analyses Based On Video Recordings, Erin Michelle Huffman
Capstones and Honors Theses
Pigeons pecking a key on a fixed-ratio schedule pause after receiving a reinforcer. This interruption in operant responding is defined solely by the absence of the responding. The purpose of the present study was to find out what a pigeon does during the pause in key pecking, and whether non-pecking behavior is different across transitions between the rich and lean components of a multiple schedule. Using videos of four pigeons, the duration of several non-pecking behaviors was recorded during the pauses that occurred after the end of a reinforcer and the start of responding in the next component. The pigeons …
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 …
The Punitive Effect Of Electric Shock In Rats In Relation To The Rate Of Food Reinforcement, Vincent A. Bello
The Punitive Effect Of Electric Shock In Rats In Relation To The Rate Of Food Reinforcement, Vincent A. Bello
Capstones and Honors Theses
The purpose of the present experiment was to examine effects of the rate of reinforcement on the punitive function of shock for 4 rats. In baseline conditions, rats’ lever presses were reinforced with food according to a VI schedule. During punishment conditions, a VR-5 schedule of shock punishment was superimposed on the VI schedule. Across pairs of baseline and punishment conditions, the rate of reinforcement ranged from 0.5 to 6 food deliveries per min. Response rates during the baseline and punishment conditions generally increased as the reinforcement rate was raised for two out of four rats. For three rats, suppression …