Value of knowing when reinforcement is due.
- 1 January 1966
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Psychological Association (APA) in Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology
- Vol. 62 (2) , 184-192
- https://doi.org/10.1037/h0023682
Abstract
In 4 experiments concerning preference for knowing when reinforcement is to be delivered[long dash]although that information has no apparent instrumental value[long dash]pigeons chose between informative and noninformative stimulus sequences. Following an informative choice, the stimulus was correlated with the prevailing interval before reinorcement; following a noninformative choice, it was not. Strong preference for the informative sequence, regardless of the proportion of short vs. long reinforcement intervals, was unaffected by addition of a reliable cue at the moment of reinforcement. Cue strength of the various stimuli was assessed. A control experiment excluded explanations in terms of preference for unpredictable sequences, variety, or specific stimuli. The results are discussed in terms of secondary reinforcement.This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- Effects of Discriminative Stimulus Removal on Observing BehaviorThe Psychological Record, 1965
- Conditions affecting acquisition of observing responses in the absence of differential reward.Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1965
- APERIODICITY AS A FACTOR IN CHOICE1Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1964