Sequential reacquisition as a function of timeout from avoidance

Rats learned to reacquire four similar three-member response sequences. Each sequence member was associated with a different response lever, and the correct sequence of levers (i.e., 3-1-2, 2-1-3, 1-3-2, and 2-3-1) changed each session. The first two correct responses of each sequence postponed shock for a fixed period of time. The third correct response initiated a signalled timeout from avoidance. Incorrect responses did not affect the shock interval or reset the sequence. The effects of manipulating timeout duration on the sequential reacquisition baseline were investigated. All subjects displayed biphasic reacquisition performances similar to those controlled by food. The phases were characterized by an initial increase in accuracy, which reached a stable level during the latter portion of each session. Timeout duration affected rate of sequence completion and shock density, but not percentage of errors. Rate of sequence completion was fastest with intermediate timeouts (15 to 60 sec), and slowest with extreme durations (1 or 120 sec). Shock densities peaked with extreme durations and were at minimum with intermediate timeout values. The percentage of errors was the same across timeout durations. These data extend the generality of sequential reacquisition as a procedure for studying learning, and demonstrate timeout from avoidance to be a controlling variable.     

Relationship between response rate and reinforcement frequency in variable-interval schedules: III. The effect of d-amphetamine.

Four rats were exposed to variable-interval schedules specifying a range of different reinforcement frequencies. The effects of two doses of d-amphetamine (1.6 and 3.2 mumol/kg) upon performance maintained under each schedule were examined. In the case of each rat, the response rates observed under control conditions (no injection or injection of the vehicle alone) were increasing, negatively accelerated functions of reinforcement frequency, the data conforming closely to Herrnstein's (1970) equation. In each rat, d-amphetamine (3.2 mumol/kg) significantly reduced the value of the constant Rmax, which expresses the theoretical maximum response rate. In each rat, the value of KH, which expresses the reinforcement frequency needed to obtain the half-maximal response rate, was also reduced, although this only achieved statistical significance in the case of one rat. When the proportional change in response rate in the presence of the drug was plotted against the response rate under control conditions on double logarithmic co-ordinates, linear functions of negative slope were obtained; in each rat the slope was steeper and the value of the control response rate at which d-amphetamine exerted no effect was lower in the case of the higher dose (3.2 mumol/kg) than in the case of the lower dose (1.6 mumol/kg).     

Rate dependency, behavioral mechanisms, and behavioral pharmacology.

Behavioral pharmacology has become increasingly independent of the experimental analysis of behavior. At its beginning, behavioral pharmacology was closely related to the experimental analysis of behavior, with developments in each field aiding the other. Early attempts to systematize data in behavioral pharmacology culminated with the development of the rate-dependency concept, but as this principle was found to have more limited generality than originally was hoped, a theoretical void developed. This circumstance was followed by increased reliance on pharmacological theory as a basis for experimentation and interpretation, with an attendant decrease in emphasis on environmental variables and behavioral interpretations. Lack of interplay between behavioral pharmacology and the experimental analysis of behavior is detrimental to both disciplines because each could contribute significantly to the other. The current trend might be reversed if more research were directed at elucidating behavioral mechanisms of drug action.     

Interrupted time-series analysis and its application to behavioral data

This paper uses a question-and-answer format to present the technical aspects of interrupted time-series analysis (ITSA). Topics include the potential relevance of ITSA to behavioral researchers, serial dependency, time-series models, tests of significance, and sources of ITSA information.     

Periodicities within a fixed-interval session

Within-session periodicities in number of responses per interval and postreinforcement pauses were investigated on fixed-interval schedules of 1, 2, and 3 minutes with rats. Postreinforcement pause values and the number of responses in successive intervals were not systematically related. The direction of change of these variables from one pair of intervals to the next revealed periodicities in that the direction of change varied more than would be expected by chance. A response prevention technique used to manipulate the length of time spent responding in an interval had little effect on the postreinforcement pause value of the next interval except when only a single response was permitted in an interval. This procedure tended to reduce the postreinforcement pause value of the next interval to an abnormally low level.     

Free-operant choice behavior: A molecular analysis

Pigeons' pecks to two concurrent initial-link stimuli occasionally produced one of two mutually exclusive terminal links. Further responding to the terminal-link stimulus produced food under fixed-interval or fixed-ratio schedules. In such concurrent chained schedules, investigators rarely use a changeover delay to control superstitious switching, although it is customary to use a changeover delay in simple concurrent schedules in which choice responses produce food directly. When terminal-link fixed-interval schedules were equal or similar in duration and no changeover delay was employed, conditional probabilities of choice for a schedule were found to be lower if the last choice was for that schedule than if the last choice was for the other schedule (“switching dependency”). Imposition of a changeover delay with equal or unequal terminal links produced the opposite pattern: conditional probabilities of choice for a schedule were higher if the last choice was for that schedule than if the last choice was for the other schedule. Turning off all chamber lights during the changeover delay interval attenuated these “repetition dependencies.” The results indicate that excessive switching can complicate the interpretation of data from concurrent chains much as from simple concurrent schedules, and that using blackouts to control switching may be preferable to using a changeover delay.     

A mixed methods research study on the video‐based counselling method Marte Meo

Marte Meo is a video‐based counselling method founded by Maria Aarts in the Netherlands and now in worldwide use (Aarts, Aarts Production, 2008). Marte Meo has been adopted and put into practice by a large and diverse network of trained and certified counsellors across the world. It was invented, developed and spread by a vanguard of practising counsellors who have adapted it to a variety of contexts. This is a classic example of research and theory emerging from and following practice; we first need to synthesise the lessons the practitioners and families have learned. We need to better understand how it is implemented; how it is viewed by its practitioners and recipients; and the extent to which variability in implementation may be an asset or a drawback in the continuing evolution of the programme, and in any eventual attempt to document its effects. Therefore, the present article aimed to address this important and hitherto unexplored research topic of the Marte Meo method in counselling and to describe the current state of use of Marte Meo. How is Marte Meo used and applied in a counselling and therapeutic context? Who uses Marte Meo in professional practice? Which function and which meaning does Marte Meo have in general practice and especially in counselling and therapy? What are typical concerns, goals or areas of application? We report on an ongoing mixed methods research project which began in 2015. This paper focuses on the research methods. We will explain why an integrated exploratory sequential design (Cresswell, 2017) is best suited to our purposes. The exploratory sequential design of the Marte Meo project has five phases: as the first phase, we conducted a systematic literature review, analysing the status of existing research. The staged qualitative research consisted of designing, conducting and analysing semi‐structured interviews with parents and Marte Meo counsellors (phase 2), and then using that analysis to inform the design, the conduct and the analysis of videotaped observations of everyday situations in day‐care centres to examine the process and effects of Marte Meo interaction elements on children (phase 3). Combining these qualitative analyses then became the basis for the development of an online questionnaire that could enable us to collect quantitative data on the current use of Marte Meo in practice by experts (phase 4). This builds into the fifth phase in the final interpretation. One of the key findings of the qualitative parts is that Marte Meo is perceived as advantageous. The experts reported more joy and success in their work. In particular, in the pedagogical context, the daily, resource‐oriented ‘Marte Meo view’, which was sharpened by the training, seems to be essential, as it enables an awareness of the needs of the interaction partners and the beneficial interaction elements. Moreover, for some interviewees the use of Marte Meo does not seem to be limited to professional practice, but is expressed in a general humanistic attitude towards interpersonal relationships of all kinds. The quantitative survey has confirmed and supplemented these results. On the other hand, we found that Marte Meo is most often used in addition to the systemic approach. A later article will focus more on the findings. This article will conclude with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the research design—concerning this special research project and concerning counselling research in general.     

Sequential learning in non-human primates

Sequential learning plays a role in a variety of common tasks, such as human language processing, animal communication, and the learning of action sequences. In this article, we investigate sequential learning in non-human primates from a comparative perspective, focusing on three areas: the learning of arbitrary, fixed sequences; statistical learning; and the learning of hierarchical structure. Although primates exhibit many similarities to humans in their performance on sequence learning tasks, there are also important differences. Crucially, non-human primates appear to be limited in their ability to learn and represent the hierarchical structure of sequences. We consider the evolutionary implications of these differences and suggest that limitations in sequential learning may help explain why non-human primates lack human-like language.