Effects of Punishment in an Alternative Response Context as a Function of Relative Reinforcement Rate

Abstract

Effects of punishment on one response as a function of the relative reinforcement density for an alternative, unpunished response were investigated. 30 Ss were randomly assigned to 5 groups which differed according to the concurrent VI reinforcement schedules used to maintain punished (R1) and alternative behavior (R2), respectively. In each group the density of reinforcement for R1 was either equal to or greater than that for R2. The experimental procedures were constant for all groups and involved repeated measures of Ss’ performance across periods of acquisition training and punishment. In acquisition, rate differences in R1 responding were an increasing function of reinforcement density for R1. When noise punishment was superimposed for R1, suppression generally increased as the rate of reinforcement for R2 increased. Furthermore, punishment accelerated R2 responding in most groups. Behavior may be more or less susceptible to suppression by punishment depending upon the rate at which it is reinforced relative to the reinforcement rate for alternative behavior.