title: Timeout from a high-force requirement as a reinforcer: an effective procedure for human operant research.
abstract: A procedure to study human operant conditioning is described using a timeout from a high-force requirement as reinforcer when a high force response was required. Experiment 1 reported evidence that a timeout from a high-force requirement acted as a reinforcer and a second experiment demonstrated sensitivity to delay to escape from the force requirement as a parameter of choice in a self-control paradigm. The results of the two experiments indicate a functional similarity between unconditioned reinforcers (e.g., food) used in nonhuman subjects and the present reinforcer, demonstrating that the present procedure is well-suited to study operant conditioning in humans.
authors.affiliation: University of Lille Nord de France, France. Electronic address: jerome.alessandri@univ-lille3.fr.
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alessandri
authors.forename: Vinca
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rivière
mesh_terms: D002755:Choice Behavior; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Humans; Negative reinforcement; Self-control; Timeout from a high-force requirement