Operant variability when reinforcement is delayed

Abstract

Operant responses are often weakened when delays are imposed between the responses and reinforcers. We examined what happens when delayed reinforcers were contingent upon operant response variability. Three groups of rats were rewardedfor varying their response sequences, with onegroup rewarded for high variability, another for middle, and the third for low levels. Consistent with many reports in the literature, responding slowed significantly in all groups as delays were lengthened. Consistent with other reports, large differences in variability were maintained across the three groups despite the delays. Reinforced variability appears to be relatively immune to disruption by such things as delays, response slowing, prefeeding, and noncontingent reinforcement. Furthermore, the small effects on variability depended on baseline levels: As delays lengthened, variability increased in the low group, was statistically unchanged in the middle group, and decreased in the high group, an interaction similar to that reported previously when reinforcement frequencies were lowered. Thus, variable operant responding is controlled by reinforcement contingencies, but sometimes differently than more commonly studied repetitive responding.