Rat toys, reinforcers, and response strength: An examination of the R(e) parameter in Herrnstein's equation

Behavioural Processes

Volumn 39, Issue 1, 1997, Pages 39-52

  Petry, N M ^a,b   Heyman, G M ^a  

^a HARVARD UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

Author keywords

Lever press; Matching law; Rats; Response strength equation

Indexed keywords

ANIMAL EXPERIMENT; ARTICLE; CONTROLLED STUDY; MALE; MATHEMATICAL MODEL; MOTOR PERFORMANCE; NONHUMAN; RAT; REINFORCEMENT;

EID: 0031017686     PISSN: 03766357     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/S0376-6357(96)00043-5     Document Type: Article

References (33)

1. Baum, W.M., 1981. Optimization and the matching law accounts of instrumental behavior. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 36: 387-403.
2. Belke, T. and Heyman, G.M., 1994. The effect of extraneous and signaled reinforcement on the response-reinforcer relation. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 61: 65-81.
3. Bradshaw, C.M., 1977. Suppression of response rates in variable interval schedules by a concurrent schedule of reinforcement. Br. J. Psychol., 68: 473-480.
4. Bradshaw, C.M., Ruddle, H.V. and Szabadi, E., 1981. Relationship between response rate and reinforcement frequency in variable interval schedules: II. Effect of the volume of sucrose reinforcement. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 35: 263-269.
5. Bradshaw, C.M., Szabadi, E. and Bevan, P., 1978. Relationship between response rate and reinforcement frequency in variable interval schedules. The effect of the concentration of sucrose reinforcement. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 29: 447-457.
6. Bradshaw, C.M., Szabadi, E. and Ruddle, H.V., 1983. Herrnstein's equation: Effect of response force requirement on performance in variable-interval schedules. Behav. Anal. Lett., 3: 93-100.
7. Bradshaw, C.M., Szabadi, E., Ruddle, H.V. and Pears, E., 1983. Herrnstein's equation: Effect of deprivation level on performance in variable interval schedules. Behav. Anal. Lett., 3: 267-273.
8. Davison, M.C. and Hunter, I.W., 1976. Performance on variable-interval schedules arranged singly and concurrently. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 32: 233-242.
9. de Villiers, P.A. and Herrnstein, R.J., 1976. Toward a law of response strength. Psychol. Bull., 83: 1131-1153.
10. Dougan, J.D. and McSweeney, F.K., 1985. Variation in Herrnstein's Ro as a function of alternative reinforcement rate. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 43: 215-223.
11. Fleshler, M. and Hoffman, H.S., 1962. A progression for generating variable-interval schedules. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 5: 529-530.
12. Hamilton, A.I., Stellar, J.R. and Hart, E.B., 1985. Reward, performance, and the response strength method in self-stimulating rats: Validation and neuroleptics. Physiol. Behav., 35: 897-904.
13. Herrnstein, R.J., 1970. On the law of effect. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 13: 243-266.
14. Herrnstein, R.J., 1974. Formal Properties of the matching law. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 13: 243-266.
15. Heyman, G.M., 1983. A parametric evaluation of the matching law. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 40: 113-122.
16. Heyman, G.M., 1992. Methylphenidate induced changes in reinforced responding: Matching law and rate dependency analysis. Psychopharmacology, 109: 145-152.
17. Heyman, G.M., Kinzie, D.L. and Seiden, L.S., 1986. Chlorpromazine and pimozide alter reinforcement efficacy and motor performance. Psychopharmacology, 88: 346-353.
18. Heyman, G.M. and Monaghan, M., 1987. Effects of changes in response requirement and deprivation on the parameters of the matching law equation: New data and review. J. Exp. Psychol.: Anim. Behav. Processes, 13: 384-394.
19. Heyman, G.M. and Monaghan, M.M., 1994. The relationship between sucrose concentration and the parameters of the response strength equation: Reward magnitude and response strength. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 61: 505-516.
20. Hinson, J.M. and Staddon, J.E.R. 1978. Behavioral competition: A mechanism for schedule interactions. Science, 202: 432-434.
21. McDowell, J.J. and Wood, H.M. 1984. Confirmation of linear system theory prediction: Changes in Herrnstein's k as a function of changes in reinforcer magnitude. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 41: 183-192.
22. McDowell, J.J. and Wood, H.M. 1985. Confirmation of linear system theory prediction: Rate of Change of Herrnstein's k as a function of response-force requirement. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 43: 61-73.
23. McSweeney, F.K., 1978. Prediction of concurrent keypeck and treadle-press responding from simple schedule performance. Anim. Learn. Behav., 6: 444-450.
24. McSweeney, F.K., 1992. Rates of reinforcement and session duration as determinants of within-session patterns of responding. Anim. Learn. Behav., 20: 160-169.
25. McSweeney, F.K., Weatherly, J.N. and Swindell, S., 1995. Within-session response rates when reinforcement rate is changed within each session. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 64: 237-246.
26. McSweeney, F.K. and Roll, J.M., 1993. Responding changes systematically within session during conditioning procedures. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 60: 621-640.
27. Petry, N.M. and Heyman, G.M., 1994. Effects of qualitatively different reinforcers on the parameters of the response-strength equation. J. Exp. Anal. Behav., 61: 97-106.
28. Porter, J.H. and Villanueva, H.F., 1989. Assessment of pimozide's motor and hedonic effects on operant behavior in rats. Pharm. Biochem. Behav., 31: 779-786.
29. Staddon, J.E.R., 1979. Operant behavior as adaptation to constraint. J. Exp. Psychol. Gen., 108: 48-67.
30. Tatham, T.A. and Zurn, K.R., 1989. The MED-PC experimental apparatus programming system. Behav. Res. Methods Instrum. Comput., 21: 294-302.
31. White, K.G., McLean, A.P. and Aldiss, M.F., 1986. The context for reinforcement: Modulation of the response-reinforcer relation by concurrently available extraneous reinforcement. Anim. Learn. Behav., 14: 398-404.
32. Wilkinson, G., 1961. Statistical estimation in enzyme kinetics. Biochem. J., 80: 324-332.
33. Williams, B.A., 1988. Reinforcement, choice, and response strength. In: R.C. Atkinson, R.J. Herrnstein, G. Lindzey and R.D. Luce (Editors), Steven's Handbook of Experimental Psychology. John Wiley and Sons, New York, pp. 167-244.