ON THE EFFECTS OF FOOD DEPRIVATION AND COMPONENT REINFORCER RATES ON MULTIPLE‐SCHEDULE PERFORMANCE

Abstract

Six pigeons were used to investigate the effects of varying body weight and component reinforcer rates in two‐component multiple variable‐interval variable‐interval schedules. In Parts 1 and 3 of the experiment, unequal component reinforcer rates were arranged, and body weights were respectively increased and decreased. At 80% ad lib weight, response‐rate ratios were closer to unity than reinforcer‐rate ratios, but at 100% or more of ad lib weight, response‐rate ratios generally equaled reinforcer‐rate ratios. In Part 2, component reinforcer‐rate ratios were varied over five conditions with the subjects maintained at 100% or more of their ad lib weights, and response‐rate ratios matched reinforcer‐rate ratios. The data thus support the empirical finding that response allocation in multiple schedules is a function of deprivation. Although this qualitative result is predicted by three models of multiple‐schedule performance, only a model that assumes no direct component interaction adequately describes the data.