Dual payoff band control of reaction time

The location of a S’s simple reaction time (RT) distribution can be controlled by differential reinforcement of RTs that fall within specified temporal limits called a payoff band. Both humans and monkeys can gradually shift the location of a single RT distribution over hundreds of milliseconds in accord with changing payoff band requirements. This study establishes that trained human Ss can also accurately shift theft response latencies back and forth between two different RT distributions when the payoff band is changed from trial to trial. On each trial, the color of the warning stimulus indicated which of two payoff bands would be in effect when the S reacted to a light flashed 1,500 msec later. The RT distributions produced under the condition of random trial-to-trial switching between two payoff bands were the same as the low-variability RT distributions produced when only one payoff band was in effect over a long series of trials.