Cognitive Psychology Commons^™

Differential Reinforcement Of Other Behavior And Response Suppression: The Effects Of The Response-Reinforcement Interval, Thomas S. Rieg, Nelson F. Smith, Stuart Vyse

Psychology Faculty Publications

Three experiments were conducted comparing the effects of the relationship between the response-reinforcement interval and the reinforcement-reinforcement interval in a differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) contingency. The experiments followed an acquisition, treatment, and reacquisition sequence where rats were trained to press a lever for food, were exposed to response elimination contingencies (DRO and extinction), and finally tested for the effectiveness of their respective treatment conditions. Experiment 1 shows that the longer the response-reinforcement interval the more effective the suppressive effects of DRO. Experiment 2 shows that it is the relationship of the response-reinforcement interval to the reinforcement-reinforcement interval that …