Pigeons were rnn on fixed ratio schedules that alternated between pairs of long and pairs of short ratios. Length of ratio was differentially cued. The longest pause in response preceded the longer ratio. However, sequential effects were observed. These suggested a contrast effect rather than a direct relation between amount of responding preceding a pause and pause duration.The postreinforcement pause (PRP) has frequently been shown to be the property of behavior controlled by fixed-ratio (FR) scheduies-reinforcement of every nth response-most sensitive to experimental manipuiation. FR length (Boren, 1961), response effort (Notterman & Mintz, 1965), drive level (Sidman & stebbins, 1954), and number of reinforcements (Mintz, Mourer, & Weinberg, 1966a) are a few among the variety of variables shown systematically to affect pause duration.Since both effort of individual response, and the number of responses in the FR exert great influence on pause duration, total energy expenditure in achieving reinforcement suggests itself as an important determinant of pausing. However, the reguiarity of the FR scheduie, as opposed to, say, a variable ratio (VR) averaging equal length, is also important. Ferster & Skinner (1957) suggest a discriminative basis for the PRP. Response is least likely when its contingent reinforcement is least likely. Extensive training on FR establishes the reinforcement itself as the stimuius systematically preceding the lowest probability of subsequent reinforcement.Further evidence· for the importance of stimuius control in the FR performance has been shown in chained scheduies or related procedures where different stimuii are reguiarly correlated with different component responses in the sequence leading to reinforcement (Ferster & Skinner, 1957;Thomas, 1964;Mintz, Mourer, & Weinberg, 1966b). In general, when the S is provided with exteroceptive stimuii correlated with the beginning of the FR sequence, control of the behavior is weaker than when cues that have been related to closer proximity to reinforcement are presented.The present study is concerned with an analysis of PRP duration as it is influenced by FR length. The PRP occurs when one FR cycle has just been completed and a new one has begun. Our interest is to isolate the effects of the length of the preceding and the present FR on this pause.Psychon. Sci., 1967, Vol. 9 (7 A) MethodThe Ss were two aduit male White Carneaux pigeons. S24 was experimentally naive and S10 had a prior history of FR reinforcement on a white key. Both Ss were maintained at 80% of their ad lib feeding weights.The apparatus was a standard Lehigh Valley two key operant chamber for pigeons; only the right hand key was used.Both birds were run on two-component muitiple FR scheduies that followed a fixed pattern. Pairs of each ratio length were reguiarly alternated. For S10 the pattern was FR50-FR50-FR20-FR20 etc; S24 ran on FR40-FR40-FR20-FR20 etc. The longer FR was cued by a red key light, the shorter by a green key light for both Ss. During the 3.5 sec periods of ...
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