2002/05/01 by Jason Landon, Michael Davison, Douglas Elliffe · 4 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Psychology · Veterinary · #Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies #Animal Nutrition and Physiology #Behavioral and Psychological Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1901/jeab.2002.77-257
crossref issued 2002/05/01 · crossref published 2002/05/01 · crossref published-print 2002/05/01 · openalex publication_date 2002/05/01 · crossref created 2006/03/02 · crossref published-online 2013/02/26 · crossref deposited 2023/11/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/31 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Five pigeons were trained on concurrent variable-interval schedules in a switching-key procedure. The overall rate of reinforcement was constant in all conditions, and the ratios of reinforcers obtainable on the two alternatives were varied over seven levels. Each condition remained in effect for 65 sessions, and the last 50 sessions of data from each condition were analyzed. The most recently obtained reinforcer had the largest effect on current preference, but each of the eight previously obtained reinforcers had a small measurable effect. These effects were larger when the reinforcer ratio was more extreme. A longer term effect of reinforcement was also evident, which changed as a function of the reinforcer ratio arranged. More local analyses showed regularities at a reinforcer-by-reinforcer level and large transient movements in preference toward the just-reinforced alternative immediately following reinforcers, followed by a return to stable levels that were related to the reinforcer ratio in effect. The present data suggest that the variables that control choice have both short- and long-term effects and that the short-term effects increased when the reinforcer ratios arranged were more extreme.