The effects of fixed-ratio random reinforcement on response latency of monkeys.

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Abstract
The effects of fixed-ratio random reinforcement on the latency of an object-displacing response were studied with rhesus monkeys as Ss. In the initial experiment latency of response was determined for each of 11 conditions of reinforcement ranging from 0 to 100% in 10% increments. The function obtained by plotting mean log latency of response against percentage of reinforcement indicated that latency decreased rapidly as frequency of reinforcement increased to 20% but that the function remained at essentially the same level from 20 to 100% with the one exception that at 90% a significant drop in latency occurred. Significant differences were obtained among the blocks of trials within test days and also among the animals used in the experiment. The second experiment was designed to locate more precisely the point of inflection found in the latency function of the first experiment by studying the effects on response latency of six reinforcement ratios ranging from 5 to 30% in 5% increments. No significant differences were found between 5 and 10% or 20, 25, and 30%, but between 10 and 20% the latency decreased rapidly and significantly as the frequency of reinforcement increased. Significant differences were found between blocks of trials within days and also between animals as in the first experiment.
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