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Articles 1 - 30 of 41
Full-Text Articles in Experimental Analysis of Behavior
Do The Adaptogenic Mushrooms, Cordyceps Militaris And Hericium Erinaceus, Produce Caffeine-Like Discriminative-Stimulus Effects?, Stephen James Cullinan
Do The Adaptogenic Mushrooms, Cordyceps Militaris And Hericium Erinaceus, Produce Caffeine-Like Discriminative-Stimulus Effects?, Stephen James Cullinan
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Caffeine is one of the most widely consumed drugs in the United States, but its excessive consumption increases the risk of heart disease, sleep problems, and anxiety. In response to these issues, there has been a rise in efforts to find safer alternatives to caffeine while maintaining similar subjective effects. The adaptogenic mushrooms, cordyceps and lion’s mane, are claimed to have similar energy- and mood-enhancing effects as caffeine; however, there is limited research directly comparing their effects to caffeine. A drug-discrimination paradigm, in which rats were trained to discriminate between caffeine and saline, was used to compare the discriminative-stimulus effects …
An Assessment Of The Reinforcing And Aversive Properties Of Transition-Related Stimuli, Lillian Louise Skiba-Thayer
An Assessment Of The Reinforcing And Aversive Properties Of Transition-Related Stimuli, Lillian Louise Skiba-Thayer
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Transitions from relatively favorable (rich) to relatively unfavorable (lean) activities have been shown to disrupt behavior. Transition-related disruptions in behavior have been observed across laboratories, species, and procedural arrangements. The most commonly reported disruption in basic research is a pause in the reinforced behavior in the signaled transition from a relatively rich to a relatively lean condition of reinforcement (Perone & Courtney, 1992). The present study assessed the function of the stimuli associated with transitions as either reinforcing, punishing, or neutral across two experiments using eight pigeons as subjects. Experiment 1 tested the function of two stimuli, one correlated with …
Behavioral Effects Of Prenatal Ecig Aerosol Exposure On Sprague-Dawley Rats, Erin Elizabeth Wylie
Behavioral Effects Of Prenatal Ecig Aerosol Exposure On Sprague-Dawley Rats, Erin Elizabeth Wylie
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Maternal electronic cigarette (ECIG) use during pregnancy raises concerns about potential risks to offspring, yet its behavioral effects remain unclear. The present studies were designed to investigate how prenatal exposure to ECIG aerosols, with and without nicotine, influences the behavior of Sprague-Dawley rat offspring. Dams were exposed to aerosols containing base liquid alone, aerosols containing base liquid with 18 mg/ml nicotine, or filtered air (control) throughout gestation. Following postnatal day 65, male offspring from 17 litters completed lever-press acquisition (Experiment 1), sustained-attending (Experiment 2), and nicotine self-administration (Experiment 3) tasks. One-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were used to compare task …
Extinction Bursts Reexamined: The Role Of Consummatory Time And Response Reallocation, Braden Toler
Extinction Bursts Reexamined: The Role Of Consummatory Time And Response Reallocation, Braden Toler
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Two experiments were conducted to examine how the removal of the opportunity to consume reinforcement and the reallocation of that time might account for extinction bursts during within-session transitions from FR 1 to extinction. In Experiment 1, rats and pigeons were trained under FR 1 schedules and subsequently exposed to within-session extinction. Total counts of responses suggested that extinction bursts occurred for each subject, but when adjusted to exclude responses that would have overlapped with food consumption, no bursts were observed. In Experiment 2, pigeons experienced four extinction arrangements: conventional extinction, response-independent reinforcement, conditioned reinforcement, and differential reinforcement of alternative …
Comparing Resurgence Following Positive And Negative Reinforcement Using A Human-Operant Approach, Abbie Cooper
Comparing Resurgence Following Positive And Negative Reinforcement Using A Human-Operant Approach, Abbie Cooper
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Resurgence is a type of relapse that consists of the recurrence of a previously eliminated response following worsening reinforcement conditions for an alternative response. Resurgence can occur following a history of positive or negative reinforcement; however, no previous evaluations have directly compared resurgence following these processes. In the present set of experiments, college students responded on a computer program to earn points (positive reinforcement) and to avoid losing points (negative reinforcement). Experiment 1 evaluated resurgence when both target and alternative responses were maintained by the same reinforcer class (i.e., in the positive-reinforcement component the target and alternative responses were positively …
Effects Of Probabilistic Win-Paired-Cue Delivery On Loss Trials On Risky Choice In Rats, Connor M. Lambert
Effects Of Probabilistic Win-Paired-Cue Delivery On Loss Trials On Risky Choice In Rats, Connor M. Lambert
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Problem gambling, or Gambling Disorder, is a behavioral disorder that affects 2.5% of the U.S. population and can result in detriments to physical, mental, and financial well-being. Electronic gambling machines (e.g., slot machines, video poker, pachinko) may be more addictive than other forms of gambling (e.g., table games, sports betting). Electronic gambling machines present a series of audiovisual stimuli concurrently with winning and some losing outcomes. Previous research in human and non-human animals has found increased levels of risky choice when audiovisual stimuli are presented with wins compared to their absence. The present study was arranged to evaluate how a …
Making Something Out Of Nothing: Immobility As An Operant, KaʻAla K. Bajo
Making Something Out Of Nothing: Immobility As An Operant, KaʻAla K. Bajo
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
The tradition of research in the experimental analysis of behavior generally emphasizes the analysis of overt, discrete responses such as lever presses or key pecks. Reflecting this emphasis, definitions of behavior involve the observable action or movement of an organism through space. Although continuous responses involving little to no movement, such as “holding still” or “immobility”, fall outside these definitions, immobility is a form of continuous, operant responding that can be learned and experimentally controlled. Three experiments were conducted to investigate parameters surrounding immobility as an operant. In Experiment 1, immobility in the form of platform-standing bouts was shaped and …
An Evaluation Of A Human-Operant Effort Manipulation And Effects Of Effort Disparity On Renewal, Haleh Amanieh
An Evaluation Of A Human-Operant Effort Manipulation And Effects Of Effort Disparity On Renewal, Haleh Amanieh
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
The relative effort of target and alternative responses during treatments using differential reinforcement of alternative behavior may impact the likelihood that a previously reduced target response will reemerge following a context change (i.e., “renewal”). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of an effort disparity between target and alternative responses in a human-operant arrangement. Eighteen college students clicked on one (Experiment 1) or two (Experiment 2) circles moving on a computer screen for points. In Experiment 1, the speed of the circle was manipulated as an index of effort such that three circle speeds (i.e., 50, 100, …
Social Coordination Maintained By Progressive Delay Of Coordination-Dependent Reinforcement, Firdavs Khaydarov
Social Coordination Maintained By Progressive Delay Of Coordination-Dependent Reinforcement, Firdavs Khaydarov
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
The purpose of the present investigation was to examine coordination maintained by the progressive delay of coordination-dependent reinforcement and to compare the effects of unsignaled and signaled delays on coordination maintenance. In Experiment 1, coordination was examined using two multiple schedules in which two components alternated daily. One of the multiple schedules included progressive-delay (Component 1) and a yoked-interval (Component 2) schedule of coordination-dependent reinforcement in the two components. The other multiple schedule contained a progressive-delay (Component 1) and a yoked-interval (Component 2) schedule of coordination-independent reinforcement in the two components. Component 1 always preceded Component 2, and interreinforcer intervals …
Effects Of Light/Dark Cycle Shifts On Delay Discounting, Katya A. Nolder
Effects Of Light/Dark Cycle Shifts On Delay Discounting, Katya A. Nolder
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Shift-work conditions are a necessity for the constant provision of certain medical, industrial, and commercial services in modern society. Shift work is associated with the increased risk of many negative health outcomes, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, reproductive issues, and cancer. Shift workers experience multiple levels of circadian-rhythm disruption, which may increase maladaptive decision making, and this may mediate the relation between shift work and negative health outcomes. Circadian-rhythm disruptions can be systematically investigated in the basic laboratory, and one type of procedure involves changing the light/dark cycle in the animal vivarium. The current study investigated effects of light/dark …
Effects Of Brief-Signal Number And Location On Responding Maintained By Delay Of Reinforcement, Firdavs Khaydarov
Effects Of Brief-Signal Number And Location On Responding Maintained By Delay Of Reinforcement, Firdavs Khaydarov
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
The purpose of the present series of experiments was to examine the effects of the number, type, and location of brief signal(s) occurring during, but not throughout, a delay period, on responding maintained by the delay of reinforcement. In each experiment, a tandem variable time (VT) 60-s fixed interval (FI) 9-s schedule was used as a baseline condition of an immediate reinforcement against which delay conditions were examined. For the delay conditions, a chained variable interval (VI) 60-s fixed time (FT) 9-s (delay period) schedule was used, and the imposition of the brief signal (blackout) during the delay period was …
Evaluation Of Renewal During Differential Reinforcement With Asymmetrical Choices And A Context Fading Mitigation Technique, Kacey R. Finch
Evaluation Of Renewal During Differential Reinforcement With Asymmetrical Choices And A Context Fading Mitigation Technique, Kacey R. Finch
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Successful clinical behavior analytic treatment often results in decreases in challenging behavior and increases in appropriate behavior. These reductions in challenging behavior are often achieved by implementing differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA; Petscher et al., 2009). One variation of DRA to decrease challenging behavior is differential reinforcement with asymmetrical choices, which are two or more concurrently available response options associated with differential outcomes (Fisher & Mazur, 1997; Kestner et al., 2023). However, responding that was previously reduced sometimes reemerges. Specifically, renewal is the reemergence of a previously reduced response following a context change. The first two experiments evaluated renewal …
Effects Of Combined Ethanol And Nicotine Administration On Delay Discounting In Male And Female Sprague-Dawley Rats, Rebecca Lillian Chalme
Effects Of Combined Ethanol And Nicotine Administration On Delay Discounting In Male And Female Sprague-Dawley Rats, Rebecca Lillian Chalme
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Ethanol (EtOH) and nicotine (NIC) are among the most commonly used and co-used drugs in the world. Co-use occurs in people who use one or both drugs chronically, but also in people who only consume one or both drugs acutely, often in a “bingeing and chipping” pattern. Given that each drug on its own has previously been shown to affect impulsive choice in delay-discounting procedures, with some indication that drug effects could vary by sex, the purpose of the present experiments was to investigate effects of combined EtOH and NIC at a range of dose combinations on delay discounting in …
Effects Of Oxycodone And Methylphenidate On Self-Control With Aversive Outcomes, Jeremy Saul Langford
Effects Of Oxycodone And Methylphenidate On Self-Control With Aversive Outcomes, Jeremy Saul Langford
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
In the context of choice, one is said to show self-control under numerous conditions in which consideration is given to the delayed outcomes of each option. This can be difficult: both reinforcing and aversive outcomes become less effective as they are increasingly delayed. Several socially significant issues arise from a failure of delayed, aversive outcomes to impact choice, especially when immediate, reinforcing outcomes are available. Identifying the conditions under which choice is sensitive to delayed outcomes is critical to shifting choices toward alternatives in which contact with delayed, aversive outcomes is minimized. Two experiments were conducted with the aim of …
The Effect Of Sequential Stimuli On Variable-Interval Schedule Performance And Resurgence, Amanda K. Miles
The Effect Of Sequential Stimuli On Variable-Interval Schedule Performance And Resurgence, Amanda K. Miles
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Resurgence, or the recurrence of a previously established but not currently occurring response given a worsening of current conditions, is a systematic phenomenon with clinical implications; thus, understanding the variables that impact resurgence is important. Investigations into the impact of discriminative stimuli on resurgence have yielded mixed results about whether the stimuli associated with extinction mitigate or prevent resurgence. The current experiments were conducted with sequential stimuli, that is, two or more stimuli occurring in a fixed sequence, that allowed determination of the effect of discriminative stimuli across a continuum of reinforcement conditions (from most temporally distal to most proximal …
Response Maintenance By Mediated Reinforcement With Forced Alternation Of Reinforcement Opportunities, Kento Yasukawa
Response Maintenance By Mediated Reinforcement With Forced Alternation Of Reinforcement Opportunities, Kento Yasukawa
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of mediated reinforcement –reinforcers delivered to either of two co-actors by the responses of the other co-actor, but independently of the responses of the co-actor receiving the reinforcer– on the maintenance of responding of the co-actors. In each experiment, using a discrete-trials procedure, responding and receiving reinforcers alternated between co-actors. In Experiment 1, the alternation followed each reinforcer. Also investigated in this experiment were the effects of the presence and absence of social stimuli and of the role of reinforcement delays on individual responding. The number of consecutive reinforcer deliveries to either …
Effects Of Ethanol And Nicotine Co-Administration On Risky Choice In Rats, Erin E. Wylie
Effects Of Ethanol And Nicotine Co-Administration On Risky Choice In Rats, Erin E. Wylie
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Individuals often engage in the comorbid use of alcohol (ethanol) and nicotine, leading to further-escalated health consequences than the use of either drug in isolation. Given the poor health outcomes resulting from the combined administration of ethanol and nicotine, some of which may be due to increased risky choice, more basic research is needed to better characterize drug/dose interactions on risky choice. Probability-discounting procedures involve a series of discrete choices between a smaller, certain reinforcer (i.e., a safer choice) and a larger, increasingly uncertain reinforcer (i.e., a riskier choice). Probability-discounting procedures allow for the assessment of …
Effects Of Aripiprazole Alone And In Combination With D-Amphetamine On Probability Discounting In Sprague-Dawley Rats, Paige Currie
Effects Of Aripiprazole Alone And In Combination With D-Amphetamine On Probability Discounting In Sprague-Dawley Rats, Paige Currie
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Pharmaceuticals are helpful tools in aiding individuals with psychiatric diagnoses. Sometimes, the drug’s side effects can be more severe than the initial problem. Maladaptive behaviors, like pathological gambling, overeating, and substance abuse, are important to consider during the prescription of different pharmaceuticals, particularly those used to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Individuals with these diagnoses are often prescribed: stimulants, like d-amphetamine (d-AMP; for symptoms associated with ADHD), and antipsychotics, like aripiprazole (ARI; for symptoms associated with ASD). These drugs in combination could influence maladaptive behavior, including risky choice (probability discounting). The present study …
A Monte Carlo Simulation Of Rat Choice Behavior With Interdependent Outcomes, Michelle A. Frankot
A Monte Carlo Simulation Of Rat Choice Behavior With Interdependent Outcomes, Michelle A. Frankot
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Preclinical behavioral neuroscience often uses choice paradigms to capture psychiatric symptoms. In particular, the subfield of operant research produces nested datasets with many discrete choices in a session. The standard analytic practice is to aggregate choice into a continuous variable and analyze using ANOVA or linear regression. However, choice data often have multiple interdependent outcomes of interest, violating an assumption of general linear models. The aim of the current study was to quantify the accuracy of linear mixed-effects regression (LMER) for analyzing data from a 4-choice operant task called the Rodent Gambling Task (RGT), which measures decision-making in the context …
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 …
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 …
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 (ETD)
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 …
Discriminative Stimulus Effects Of Cannabidiol Oil In Rats, Rebecca L. Chalme
Discriminative Stimulus Effects Of Cannabidiol Oil In Rats, Rebecca L. Chalme
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the major centrally active phytocannabinoid components of cannabis, and has been approved by the FDA only for the treatment of two rare seizure disorders. However, CBD has been touted as a potential treatment for anxiety in place of more traditional treatments like benzodiazepines. Although there is some evidence of anxiolytic effects of CBD, its suitability as a substitute for benzodiazepines is unknown. This experiment was designed to assess to what extent CBD shares interoceptive discriminative-stimulus properties with the anxiolytic chlordiazepoxide (CDP), a benzodiazepine. In the present experiment, a range of doses (0-333.3 mg/kg) of over-the-counter …
Effects Of Nonexamples On Concept Formation, Catherine Louise Williams
Effects Of Nonexamples On Concept Formation, Catherine Louise Williams
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
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 …
An Analysis Of Coordinated Responding, Brian Katz
An Analysis Of Coordinated Responding, Brian Katz
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Experimental analyses of coordinated responding (i.e., cooperation) have been derived from a procedure described by Skinner (1962) in which reinforcers were delivered to a pair of subjects (a dyad) if both responded within a short interval, thus satisfying a mutual-reinforcement contingency. Although it has been suggested that this contingency enhances rates of temporally coordinated responding, limitations of past experiments have raised questions concerning this conclusion. The present experiments assessed three of those limitations by holding the schedule of reinforcement (Experiment 1: fixed-ratio 1; Experiment 2; variable-interval 20 s) constant (1) across phases and (2) between dyad members, and (3) varying …
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 (ETD)
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 …
A Translational Analysis Of Renewal Following Dro With Human Subjects, Kacey R. Finch
A Translational Analysis Of Renewal Following Dro With Human Subjects, Kacey R. Finch
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Renewal is a type of behavioral relapse that is dependent on changes in contextual stimuli in the environment. The current study investigated ABA renewal of responding that had been previously reduced by a differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) procedure. ABA renewal refers to the context associated with three phases of behavioral treatment; Context A is present during baseline, Context B is present during treatment, and the post-treatment context returns to Context A (i.e., renewal test). Undergraduate college students participated in a Zoom video call during which they responded by clicking the mouse on a rectangle in a computer program …
Effects Of Acute And Chronic Nicotine Administration On Choice Of Probabilistic Outcomes, Katya A. Nolder
Effects Of Acute And Chronic Nicotine Administration On Choice Of Probabilistic Outcomes, Katya A. Nolder
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Risky choice can be operationally defined as the choice for a larger, uncertain reinforcer over a smaller, certain reinforcer. Research suggests smokers engage in more risky or maladaptive decisions when compared to nonsmokers. The relation between nicotine and risky choice could benefit from further investigation, since nicotine is the active substance of tobacco products that maintains tobacco addiction. Acute nicotine administration has shown to alter risky choice; however, since the everyday smoker uses nicotine repeatedly, more research on chronic administration is warranted and would allow for assessment of tolerance or sensitization of these effects. The present study investigated effects of …
Negative Punishment During Alternative Reinforcement Does Not Reduce Subsequent Resurgence, Alexander Houchins, Catherine L. Williams, Claire C. St. Peter
Negative Punishment During Alternative Reinforcement Does Not Reduce Subsequent Resurgence, Alexander Houchins, Catherine L. Williams, Claire C. St. Peter
Faculty & Staff Scholarship
Resurgence of previously suppressed behavior can occur when differential reinforcement is discontinued. Recent research has investigated strategies to mitigate resurgence, such as punishing the target response during alternative reinforcement. Loss of reinforcers contingent on the target response (response cost) does not appear to attenuate resurgence, but these effects had not been replicated with other negative-punishment procedures, such as timeout. This study investigated effects of timeout on subsequent resurgence when adults responded to earn points during a computer task. Timeout did not affect subsequent resurgence. These findings, in combination with previous research, suggest that negative punishment may not reduce the likelihood …
Chlordiazepoxide Increases Risky Choice, Devin Andrew Galdieri
Chlordiazepoxide Increases Risky Choice, Devin Andrew Galdieri
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Probability discounting is a measure of risky choice that is correlated with maladaptive behavior and psychological disorders. Benzodiazepines are a class of drug on which relatively little risky-choice research has been conducted, particularly under conditions of chronic drug exposure. Chlordiazepoxide, a standard benzodiazepine, was administered to rats that had been trained to respond on a risky-choice task in which a choice was available between a single food pellet with 100% certainty or three food pellets with probabilities of delivery that decreased across each experimental session. During baseline, responding was sensitive to the programmed contingencies and larger-reinforcer choice decreased as the …