MATCHING WITH A TRIO OF CONCURRENT VARIABLE‐INTERVAL SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT

Abstract

A trio of concurrent variable‐interval schedules of reinforcement was arranged according to a changeover‐key procedure, including a changeover delay of 1.5 sec. The three schedules provided a combined maximum reinforcement rate of 45 reinforcements per hour. With that restriction, the nine experimental conditions included several combinations of variable‐interval schedules, sometimes including extinction. The pigeons matched relative response rate and relative time to relative reinforcement rate. Relative time appeared to match somewhat better than relative response rate. Performance adjusted rapidly from one experimental condition to the next, whether the change involved two or all three schedules of the concurrent trio.