scholarly journals The Use of Player-centered Positive Reinforcement to Schedule In-game Rewards Increases Enjoyment and Performance in a Serious Game

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aniket Nagle ◽  
Peter Wolf ◽  
Robert Riener ◽  
Domen Novak
Keyword(s):  
Serious Games ◽  
Positive Reinforcement ◽  
Fixed Ratio ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
Ratio Schedule ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Variable Ratio ◽  
Fixed Ratio Schedule ◽  
Variable Ratio Schedule ◽  
And Performance

Among the methods used to increase enjoyment and performance in serious games, reward schedules, i.e., determining when in-game rewards should be given, have not been sufficiently explored. In the present study, we designed a simple memory training serious game and compared two methods of scheduling rewards, both based on the paradigm of positive reinforcement: fixed ratio schedule, in which rewards were given after a fixed number of correct responses, and variable ratio schedule, in which rewards were given after an unpredictable number of correct responses. To account for the variability in player preference for rewards, a player-centered sub-mode was included in both schedules by adjusting the schedule ratio according to player preference for rewards. The effectiveness of this approach was tested by comparing it against two more sub-modes: one which used a predetermined ratio, and another which set the ratio to the opposite of player preference. The game was put online and tested with 210 participants. Enjoyment, performance, duration of gameplay, and likelihood to play again were significantly higher in the player-centered sub-mode than the other sub-modes. On average, the variable-ratio schedule was better in the outcome measures than the fixed-ratio schedule. The results highlight the importance of in-game rewards, and indicate that giving rewards according to a player-centered variable-ratio schedule has the potential to make serious games more effective.

scholarly journals Cortical processing of chemosensory and hedonic features of taste in active licking mice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Bouaichi ◽  
Roberto Vincis
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Ratio ◽  
Stereotyped Behavior ◽  
Neural Dynamics ◽  
Ratio Schedule ◽  
Neural Processing ◽  
Fixed Ratio Schedule ◽  
Gustatory Cortex ◽  
Electrophysiological Recordings ◽  
Taste Processing ◽  
To Receive

ABSTRACTIn the last two decades, a considerable amount of work has been devoted to investigating the neural processing and dynamics of the primary taste cortex of rats. Surprisingly, much less information is available on cortical taste electrophysiology in awake mice, an animal model that is taking a more prominent role in taste research. Here we present electrophysiological evidence demonstrating how the gustatory cortex (GC) encodes information pertaining the basic taste qualities (sweet, salty, sour, and bitter) when stimuli are actively sampled through licking, the stereotyped behavior by which mice control the access of fluids in the mouth. Mice were trained to receive each stimulus on a fixed ratio schedule in which they had to lick a dry spout six times to receive a tastant on the seventh lick. Electrophysiological recordings confirmed that GC neurons encode both chemosensory and hedonic aspects of actively sampled tastants. In addition, our data revealed two other main findings; GC neurons encoded information about taste identity in as little as 120 ms. Consistent with the ability of GC neurons to rapidly encode taste information, nearly half of the recorded neurons exhibited spiking activity that was entrained to licking at rates up to 8 Hz. Overall, our results highlight how the GC of mice processes tastants when they are actively sensed through licking, reaffirming and expanding our knowledge on cortical taste processing.NEW & NOTEWORTHYRelatively little information is available on the neural dynamics of taste processing in the mouse gustatory cortex (GC). In this study we investigate how the GC encodes information of the qualities and hedonics of a broad panel of gustatory stimuli when tastants are actively sampled through licking. Our results show that the GC neurons broadly encode taste qualities but also process taste hedonics and licking information in a temporally dynamic manner.

Counting Behavior in Baboons: An Error-Contingency Reinforcement Schedule

1967 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 393-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter K. Levison ◽  
Jack D. Findley
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Schedule ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Fixed Ratio ◽  
Ratio Schedule ◽  
Fixed Ratio Schedule

2 baboons were trained to “count” by requiring the generation of specific numbers of tones associated with different visual stimuli. Performance was reinforced by food pellets on a fixed-ratio schedule of correctly-counted problem stimuli. After accurate and stable counting was obtained, reinforcement was made contingent upon the occurrence of at least one incorrectly-performed problem in the fixed-ratio sequence, in addition to the required number of correct solutions. Counting performances adjusted appropriately to the error contingency and prior levels of accuracy were readily recovered after the contingency was removed.

Effects of Size of Variable Ratio Schedule on Disinhibition

1969 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth B. Melvin ◽  
Alfred A. Baumeister
Keyword(s):  
Ratio Schedule ◽  
Variable Ratio ◽  
Variable Ratio Schedule

Reserpine and the Partial Reinforcement Effect in the Fish Tilapia H. Macrocephala

1968 ◽  
Vol 22 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1057-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
John V. Haralson ◽  
Joseph J. Clement
Keyword(s):  
Partial Reinforcement Effect ◽  
Partial Reinforcement ◽  
Ratio Schedule ◽  
Variable Ratio ◽  
Reinforcement Effect ◽  
Schedule Of Reinforcement ◽  
Variable Ratio Schedule ◽  
Free Operant

A strong partial reinforcement effect was produced in 20 fish trained to a free operant striking response by injection of reserpine before extinction of the response. This was interpreted as a result of inhibition of responding during extinction of 20 Ss trained on a consistent schedule of reinforcement rather than facilitation of responding in Ss trained on a .4 variable ratio schedule of reinforcement.

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