The reinforcement of short interresponse times.
Five contingencies were superimposed successively on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement. In each of the resulting conditions, a different short, interresponse time was reinforced and an interresponse-time distribution was obtained from each of three pigeons. The lower bound of the reinforced interresponse times ranged from 0.3 to 2.4 sec. The resulting distributions were combined, according to a rationale based upon concurrent operants, induction, and a property of variable-interval schedules, to describe the interresponse-time distributions from a variable-interval schedule.
D000818:Animals; D010856:Columbidae; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology