title: Concurrent schedules: a quantitative relation between changeover behavior and its consequences.
abstract: Data from several published experiments on concurrent variable-interval schedules were analyzed with respect to the effects of changeover delay on the time spent responding on a schedule before changing to an alternate schedule: i.e., the interchangeover time. Interchangeover time increases as the duration of the changeover delay increases, and the present analysis shows that a power function describes the relation. The power relation applied in spite of numerous differences in the experiments: different variable-interval schedules for the concurrent pairs; equal or unequal reinforcement rates for the schedules of the concurrent pairs; different durations of the changeover delay; response-dependent or response-independent reinforcers; pigeons or rats as subjects; different reinforcers. A power function also described the data in experiments where the changeover incurred a timeout, where a fixed ratio was required to changeover, and also when asymmetrical changeover delays were used.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Stubbs
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Pliskoff
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Reid