Reinforcement and Punishment of Behavior by the Same Consequent Event

1977 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 1015-1021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Barrett ◽  
John R. Glowa
Keyword(s):  
Discriminative Stimulus ◽  
Electric Shock ◽  
Squirrel Monkeys ◽  
Food Presentation ◽  
Fixed Interval ◽  
Interval Schedule ◽  
Fixed Interval Schedule ◽  
Environmental Stimulus ◽  
Shock Presentation ◽  
Lever Pressing

In daily sessions, lever-pressing by each of two squirrel monkeys was maintained under two different conditions. During one condition responding that had been maintained initially under a 5-min. fixed-interval schedule of food presentation was suppressed when every 30th response produced an electric shock. In the presence of a different discriminative stimulus responding that initially postponed electric shock (avoidance) was ultimately maintained when responding instead produced shock under a 5-min. fixed-interval schedule. Thus responding was suppressed by shock presentation during one condition (punishment) and was maintained by the presentation of an identical shock during a second condition (reinforcement). Whether an environmental stimulus exerts reinforcing or punishing effects on behavior can depend on characteristics other than the nature of the event.

Responding under a Constant-Probability Schedule of Electric Shock Presentation

1974 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 907-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. McKearney
Keyword(s):  
Electric Shock ◽  
Variable Interval ◽  
Squirrel Monkeys ◽  
Variable Interval Schedule ◽  
Avoidance Schedule ◽  
Interval Schedule ◽  
Shock Presentation ◽  
Feature Characteristic

In squirrel monkeys responding under a continuous avoidance schedule, addition of a 3-min. constant-probability variable-interval schedule of response-produced shock (concurrent avoidance 3-min. VI) increased responding. When the avoidance schedule was eliminated, so that the only consequence of responding was the presentation of response-dependent shock under the VI schedule, characteristic VI patterns of responding were maintained. In other monkeys already responding under a 3-min. VI schedule without the constant-probability feature, characteristic patterns of responding were also maintained under the constant-probability schedule. Schedule-appropriate performances are maintained under VI schedules of shock presentation in which there is little relation between probability that a given response will be shocked and the time that has passed since the last shock, i.e., a constant-probability schedule. Substantial shock-free periods just after shock are not necessary for responding to be engendered and maintained under schedules of shock presentation.

The Effects of Variable-Interval and Fixed-Interval Signal Presentation Schedules on the Auditory Evoked Response

1969 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Nelson ◽  
Frank M. Lassman ◽  
Richard L. Hoel
Keyword(s):  
Variable Interval ◽  
Tone Burst ◽  
Signal Amplitude ◽  
Fixed Interval ◽  
Interval Schedule ◽  
Sensation Level ◽  
Fixed Interval Schedule ◽  
Auditory Evoked Responses ◽  
Auditory Evoked Response ◽  
Signal Presentation

Averaged auditory evoked responses to 1000-Hz 20-msec tone bursts were obtained from normal-hearing adults under two different intersignal interval schedules: (1) a fixed-interval schedule with 2-sec intersignal intervals, and (2) a variable-interval schedule of intersignal intervals ranging randomly from 1.0 sec to 4.5 sec with a mean of 2 sec. Peak-to-peak amplitudes (N 1 — P 2 ) as well as latencies of components P 1 , N 1 , P 2 , and N 2 were compared under the two different conditions of intersignal interval. No consistent or significant differences between variable- and fixed-interval schedules were found in the averaged responses to signals of either 20 dB SL or 50 dB SL. Neither were there significant schedule differences when 35 or 70 epochs were averaged per response. There were, however, significant effects due to signal amplitude and to the number of epochs averaged per response. Response amplitude increased and response latency decreased with sensation level of the tone burst.

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