Effects of free food deliveries and temporal contiguity on choice under concurrent-chain schedules |
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Authors: | Carwyn Scoones Andrew Hucks Anthony P McLean Randolph C Grace |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
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Abstract: | Eight pigeons responded in a concurrent chain with variable-interval (VI) 10-sec and VI 20-sec terminal links. Free food deliveries
were then added to the initial links according to a variable-time (VT) 20-sec schedule in two conditions that differed in
terms of whether a differential reinforcement of other (DRO) contingency was also arranged, which ensured that those deliveries
could not occur within 2-sec of a response. Preference for the VI 10-sec terminal link increased when VT food was added, but
not when the DRO contingency was operative, showing that free food deliveries affected preference only when those deliveries
could be temporally contiguous with choice responding. This finding suggests that Mazur’s (2003) report of increased preference
with added VT food, replicated here, was due to adventitious reinforcement. Current models for behavioral choice are limited
because they are based entirely on temporal relations between stimuli and reinforcers and fail to take into account response-reinforcer
contiguity. |
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Keywords: | |
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