CHAINED CONCURRENT SCHEDULES: REINFORCEMENT AS SITUATION TRANSITION 1

Abstract

Pigeons' pecks at two white response keys (initial‐link situation) occasionally turned both keys red (terminal‐link situation). When the two keys were red, pecks occasionally produced food, after which the keys were again white. In both situations, a changeover delay prevented the response‐produced outcome from immediately following a change of responding from either key to the other. In the initial‐link situation, the ratio of pecks at the keys closely paralleled the ratio of transitions into the terminal‐link situation produced by the pecks, conforming to the well‐known matching relation. In the terminal‐link situation, the peck ratios deviated from the matching relation toward indifference. Overall response rate and rate of changeover were generally higher in the terminal‐link situation than in the initial‐link situation. The finding of matching in the initial‐link situation supports a definition of reinforcement as situation transition. The differences in performance between the two situations, viewed in the light of other recent findings, suggest that the effects of a changeover delay depend on the overall reinforcing value of the choice alternatives.