Integration of reinforcement effects over time
Two accounts of how density of reinforcement affects steady-state performance on probabilistic schedules were compared: the real-time linear operator (RTLO) model and a temporal control model (in which response strength is determined by reinforcement probability as a function of postreinforcement time). In Experiment 1, the probability of reinforcement repeatedly cycled between extinction and a random-ratio 10 schedule. Response-rate gain and phase did not change with period of the cycle as predicted by the RTLO model, nor did either model predict the differences in response rate following reinforcement at different points in the cycle. In Experiment 2, the probability of reinforcement was elevated immediately following a reinforcement but fell after a few seconds. Previous reinforcements had no effect upon responding. An extension of the temporal control model, the cumulative impulse model, allowed for the summing of response strength over successive reinforcements and was consistent with the data of both experiments.
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Related Subject Headings
- Behavioral Science & Comparative Psychology
- 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
- 5202 Biological psychology
- 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
- 1702 Cognitive Sciences
- 1701 Psychology
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Behavioral Science & Comparative Psychology
- 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
- 5202 Biological psychology
- 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
- 1702 Cognitive Sciences
- 1701 Psychology