Preference as a function of absolute response durations.
The durations of 2 responses, 2 categories of reinforced nondiscriminated interresponse times, were varied while their relative durations were held approximately constant, with the longer about 2 1/2 times longer than the shorter. Three pigeons pecked for food. Reinforcers for the shorter and longer responses were arranged by a concurrent variable-interval, variable-interval schedule. Preference for the shorter response increased when both were lengthened. These results, taken together with previous results for discriminated interresponse times, show that preference for the shorter of 2 responses depends on their absolute durations, whether they are discriminated or not and regardless of autoshaped key pecks that may occur in the discriminated case. Time-allocation-matching was not generally obtained. The results qualitatively agree with an associative learner, a computational processing model derived from a molecular analysis of behavior.
Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112.
C P
CP
Shimp
S L
SL
Sabulsky
L J
LJ
Childers
D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior; D010856:Columbidae; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D013998:Time Perception