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- Title
Within-Session Changes in the Preratio Pause on Fixed-Ratio Schedules of Reinforcement.
- Authors
Derenne, Adam; Flannery, Kathryn A.
- Abstract
Performances under fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement are characterized by a ‘post-reinforcement’ or ‘preratio’ pause that precedes responding for the reinforcer. This paper summarizes views on the origins of pausing and presents a series of molecular analyses that shed new light on the conditions under which pausing occurs. Among the findings are that pausing is not limited to the delay before the first response of the ratio and that pause durations increase over time (in some cases more than doubling across a 40-ratio session). Similar findings were made also with variable-ratio schedules. The results are consistent with the view that pausing is a byproduct of a competition between the scheduled reinforcer and other sources of behavioral control.
- Subjects
BEHAVIORAL assessment; PSYCHOLOGICAL techniques; REINFORCEMENT (Psychology); CONTROL (Psychology); LABORATORY rats
- Publication
Behavior Analyst Today, 2007, Vol 8, Issue 2, p175
- ISSN
1539-4352
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1037/h0100611