Effects of Intermittent Reinforcing Consequences on Task Choice

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Abstract
The study explored the effects of supplementary reinforcement on 1 of 2 tasks as an element determining task choice. In an experimental setting work on the lower paying of 2 concurrent operants received additional reinforcement on either a fixed or variable interval schedule. A wide range of addition magnitudes were studied under each schedule. The results from 8 Ss working for a number of hours on either a fixed or variable interval schedule indicated that addition magnitude significantly affected task choice only when additions were available at unequal intervals. Under this schedule the higher the additions the greater the time spent on the lower paying task. The fixed interval schedule produced a small amount of time on the lower paying task regardless of addition magnitude. The results extend and replicate previous research on the effects of schedules of monetary penalties on task choice in a similar setting. Comparison of the results from the 2 studies suggests that additions and penalties when applied to opposing tasks in a concurrent setting have similar effects on patterns of task choice.

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