CONTINGENCY SPACES AND MEASURES IN CLASSICAL AND INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING¹

Abstract

The contingency between conditional and unconditional stimuli in classical conditioning paradigms, and between responses and consequences in instrumental conditioning paradigms, is analyzed. The results are represented in two- and three-dimensional spaces in which points correspond to procedures, or procedures and outcomes. Traditional statistical and psychological measures of association are applied to data in classical conditioning. Root mean square contingency, Ø, is proposed as a measure of contingency characterizing classical conditioning effects at asymptote. In instrumental training procedures, traditional measures of association are inappropriate, since one degree of freedom-response probability-is yielded to the subject. Further analysis of instrumental contingencies yields a surprising result. The well established "Matching Law" in free-operant concurrent schedules subsumes the "Probability Matching" finding of mathematical learning theory, and both are equivalent to zero contingency between responses and consequences.

Signal-food contingency and signal frequency in a continuous trials auto-shaping paradigm

“…An alternative approach stems from Rescorla's (1967) argument on the appropriate control procedures for contingency effects, and Gibbon, Berryman, and Thompson's (1974) extension of the contingency analysis in a metric framework. Again, a quantitative account is beyond the scope of the present paper, but a qualitative description may be sketched.…”

Partial reinforcement in autoshaping with pigeons

“…The result is a lower asymptotic strength for the signal, which depends directly on P. 7 Similarly, contingency theory (Gibbon, Berryman, & Thompson, 1974;Rescorla, 1967) regards the role of unreinforced trial signals as equally important in that they reduce the correlation of the CS with the US.…”

Adaptive Behavior and Learning

“…, Green & Swets, 1966. See Gibbon, Berryman, and Thompson (1974) for an extensive (though sometimes hard to follow) discussion of the concept of contingency as applied to both classical and operant conditioning procedures. 9.…”

“…φ here was computed using the time-based method (see Gibbon et al, 1974, for a fuller -if not always crystal clear -account).…”