Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Psychology
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 …
Variation In Herrnsein’S R0 As A Function Of Alternative Reinforcement Rate, James Dougan, Frances Mcsweeney
Variation In Herrnsein’S R0 As A Function Of Alternative Reinforcement Rate, James Dougan, Frances Mcsweeney
Scholarship
In a test of Herrnstein's (1970, 1974) equation for simple schedules, 15 pigeons pecked a key that produced food delivered according to variable-interval schedules. One group of birds was water deprived, and food-reinforced key pecking occurred in the presence of free water. Two other groups were not water deprived; water was present for one and absent for the other. As predicted by Herrnstein, the parameter ro was significantly higher in the water-deprived group than in the two nondeprived groups. Contrary to Herrnstein's interpretation of ro, the rate of drinking varied across schedules. Herrnstein's interpretation can be salvaged by considering ro …