Response suppression as a function of the schedule of punishment

Abstract

The schedule of punishment, like the schedule of positive reinforcement, is an important determinant of response rate. The amount of response suppression of rats in a free-responding situation was considerably greater for those given a variable-interval schedule of punishment than for those given a fixed-ratio schedule of punishment, even under conditions that roughly equated the frequency of punishments. © 1966, Psychonomic Press. All rights reserved.