Quantification of operant behavior

Abstract

The study of performance on intermittent schedules of reinforcement has proved to be a powerful tool in the fields of experimental psychology and behavioral pharmacology and presently is proving equally valuable in behavioral toxicology. The ability to specify precisely contingencies of reinforcement allows a careful and detailed quantification of performance. Intermittent schedules of reinforcement may be used in behavioral toxicology in a number of ways. A baseline of performance may be established and utilized to monitor acute effects or to track effects of chronic exposure to a toxic agent. Alternatively, schedules of reinforcement may be used in experiments requiring group comparisons, where both terminal performance and acquisition of performance may be of interest. The use of different schedules, generating different rates and patterns of performance, may be compared to elucidate behavioral mechanisms. Use of computers for schedule control and data acquisition allows a detailed analysis of performance, thus increasing the probability of the detection of subtle effects.