A comparison of two delay of reward procedures, pre-reinforcement delay vs post-reinforcement delay

Abstract

The effects on performance of 50% prereinforcement delay of reward were compared with those of 50% postreinforcement delay of reward. This comparison was made employing two different schedules of reward. Under one of these schedules, predelay and postdelay produced greater resistance to extinction than immediate reward. However, under the second reward schedule, the effects of predelay and postdelay differed greatly. While the postdelay group was about as resistant to extinction as the immediately rewarded control group, the predelay group was less resistant to extinction.