Multiple Schedule Of Reinforcement Research Articles

Behavioral variables affecting the development of amphetamine tolerance.

The behavioral effects of chronic administration of d-amphetamine in rats at a dosage of 1 mg/kg were studied with baselines involving either food or shock reinforcement. Food reinforcement was assigned according to a fixed interval or on the basis of differential reinforcement of low rate in a multiple schedule of reinforcement. Behavioral tolerance was observed in response to chronic administration of d-amphetamine when the action of drug led to a decrease in frequency of food reinforcement regardless of the schedule of reinforcement. In the second experiment, a shock avoidance situation was employed in which each avoidance response postponed the onset of grid shock. An escape contingency was provided for occasions on which an avoidance response did not occur. The chronic administration of d-amphetamine led to a uniform increase in response rate throughout the drug regimen with the consequence of decreasing rate of shock reinforcement. An hypothesis was put forward on the basis of these results which considers the development of behavioral tolerance to amphetamine administration to be a function of the drug's action in relation to its effects on the organism's behaviour in meeting reinforcement requirements.

Behavioral effects of pairing an S-D with a decreasing limited-hold reinforcement schedule.

Four pigeons were trained on a multiple reinforcement schedule consisting of two limited-hold schedules, one in which a discriminative stimulus (S(D)) accompanied the periodic reinforcement contingency, and one in which the discriminative stimulus was omitted. The duration of the limited-hold in each component of the multiple schedule was reduced in parallel steps. It was shown that behavioral differences between the two schedules were attenuated by this manipulation of temporal parameters. When S(D) was reduced in duration, three out of four pigeons responded with extremely high S(Delta) rates, despite the regular pairing of S(Delta) with the reinforcement contingency. These high rates qualitatively resembled the rapid rates emitted on the analogous no-S(D) component.

ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC CORRELATES OF TEMPORALLY SPACED RESPONDING AND AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOR

This study was undertaken to determine whether any EEG changes occurred during a multiple schedule of reinforcement consisting of repeated periods of avoidance behavior, a time-out (TO) period, and a period of differential reinforcement of low rates (DRL). The two monkeys were permanently implanted with bipolar electrodes in various subcortical areas. The EEG was recorded from these electrodes for several weeks before any behavioral training was undertaken. Training was then begun in the multiple schedule, and EEG recordings were taken frequently throughout the training period. When a stable performance level was achieved, drugs (dl-amphetamine and sodium pentobarbital) were introduced which disrupted the DRL performance but had little or no effect on avoidance behavior. The EEG recordings continued throughout these drug studies. The data indicate that the marked behavioral differences noted in each component of the schedule were not reflected in the EEG. However, the EEG did correlate with the general level of alertness of the animals during the various components. The drugs which differentially affected the behavior in the components of the schedule did not differentially affect the EEG, but they did change the brain-wave activity equally in all components. Finally, EEG changes correlated with the complex motor response of lever pressing were not observed.

Single and multiple schedules of reinforcement in developmentally retarded children.

Single and multiple schedules of reinforcement in developmentally retarded children.

Differential drug effects upon a three-ply multiple schedule of reinforcement.

Differential drug effects upon a three-ply multiple schedule of reinforcement.