Rapid Acquisition of Preference in Concurrent Chains

Grace, Randolph C.; Bragason, Orn; McLean, Anthony P.

doi:10.1901/jeab.2003.80-235

Cited by 43 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Typically, responding was relatively indifferent early in the session, followed by a transition across the session such that an asymptotic preference level was reached by about midway through. These data closely resemble those reported by Grace et al (2003) and Grace and McLean (2006). Indeed, estimates of sensitivity to delay (lag 0) were quite similar across these three studies.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Choice arrangements may offer a more promising approach. Grace, Bragason, and McLean (2003) developed a procedure capable of producing rapid acquisition of preference under control of reinforcement delay. Pigeons responded under a concurrentchains procedure with VI initial-link schedules and FI terminal-link schedules; reinforcement amount (3-s access to grain) was the same for both terminal links.…”

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confidence: 99%

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RAPID ACQUISITION OF PREFERENCE IN CONCURRENT CHAINS: EFFECTS OF d‐AMPHETAMINE ON SENSITIVITY TO REINFORCEMENT DELAY

Pitts

Hughes

et al. 2008

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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The purpose of this study was to examine effects of d-amphetamine on choice controlled by reinforcement delay. Eight pigeons responded under a concurrent-chains procedure in which one terminal-link schedule was always fixed-interval 8 s, and the other terminal-link schedule changed from session to session between fixed-interval 4 s and fixed-interval 16 s according to a 31-step pseudorandom binary sequence. After sufficient exposure to these contingencies (at least once through the pseudorandom binary sequence), the pigeons acquired a preference for the shorter reinforcement delay within each session. Estimates of the sensitivity to reinforcement immediacy were similar to those obtained in previous studies. For all pigeons, at least one dose of d-amphetamine attenuated preference and, hence, decreased estimates of sensitivity to reinforcement immediacy; in most cases, this effect occurred without a change in overall response rates. In many cases, the reduced sensitivity to reinforcement delay produced by d-amphetamine resulted primarily from a decrease in the asymptotic level of preference achieved within the session; in some cases, d-amphetamine produced complete indifference. These findings suggest that a reduction in the sensitivity to reinforcement delay may be an important behavioral mechanism of the effects of psychomotor stimulants.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _mentioning

confidence: 99%

RAPID ACQUISITION OF PREFERENCE IN CONCURRENT CHAINS: EFFECTS OF d‐AMPHETAMINE ON SENSITIVITY TO REINFORCEMENT DELAY

Pitts

Hughes

et al. 2008

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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“…Pigeons' ratio of responding between the two alternatives reflected the current ratio of reinforcer magnitudes, and to a lesser extent, past reinforcer ratios. Similar results are obtained when reinforcer delays shift between two choice alternatives [22,23].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Basolateral amygdala lesions and sensitivity to reinforcer magnitude in concurrent chains schedules

Helms

Mitchell

2008

Behavioural Brain Research

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Previous studies show that the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is required for behavior to adjust when the value of a reinforcer decreases after satiation or pairing with gastric distress. This study evaluated the effect of pre-or post-training excitotoxic lesions of the BLA on changes in preference with another type of contingency change, reinforcer magnitude reversal. Rats were trained to press left and right levers during a variable-interval choice phase for 50 µl or 150 µl sucrose delivered to consistent locations after a 16-s delay. Tones were presented during the first and last 2 s of the delay to reinforcement. The tone frequency predicted the magnitude of sucrose reinforcement in baseline conditions. All groups acquired stable preference for the lever on the large (150-µl) reinforcer side. However, nose poking during the delay to large reinforcement was highly accurate (i.e., to the reinforced side) for all groups except the rats with BLA lesions induced before training, suggesting impaired control of behavior by the tone. After the acquisition of stable preference, the locations of the reinforcer magnitudes were unpredictably reversed for a single session. Pre-training lesions blunted changes in preference when the reinforcer magnitudes were reversed. Lesions induced after stable preference was acquired, but prior to reversal, did not disrupt changes in preference. The data suggest that the BLA contributes to the adaptation of choice behavior following changes in reinforcer magnitude. Impaired learning about the tone-reinforcer magnitude relationships may have disrupted discrimination of the reinforcer magnitude reversal.

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“…Experiments 1 and 2 both confirmed two results reported in earlier research, in which concurrent schedules changed pseudorandomly from session to session. Specifically, we replicated with rat subjects the earlier findings that pigeons' response allocation in a session was largely unaffected by the reinforcer ratio experienced in previous sessions, and that it became more sensitive to the current session's reinforcer ratio as the session progressed (e.g., Hunter & Davison, , and Schofield & Davison, , in concurrent VI VI; Grace, Bragason, & McLean, , and Grace & McLean, , in concurrent chains). We also report a novel result, namely, sensitivity to the current session's reinforcer ratio consistently decreased with continued training in the PRBS.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Rat choice in rapidly changing concurrent schedules

McLean

Grace

Shevchouk

et al. 2018

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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In two experiments, experimentally naïve rats were trained in concurrent variable-interval schedules in which the reinforcer ratios changed daily according to a pseudorandom binary sequence. In Experiment 1, relative response rates showed clear sensitivity to current-session reinforcer ratios, but not to previous sessions' reinforcer ratios. Within sessions, sensitivity to the current session's reinforcement rates increased steadily, and by session end, response ratios approached matching to the current-session reinforcer ratios. Across sessions, sensitivity to the current session's reinforcer ratio decreased with continued exposure to the pseudorandom binary sequence, contrary to expectations based on previous studies demonstrating learning sets. Using a second group of naïve rats, Experiment 2 replicated the main results from Experiment 1 and showed that although there were increases over sessions in both changeover rate and response rate during the changeover delay, neither could explain the accompanying reductions in sensitivity. We consider the role of reinforcement history, showing that our results can be simulated using two separate representations, one local and one nonlocal, but a more complex approach will be needed to bring together these results and other history effects such as learning sets and spontaneous recovery.

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Rapid Acquisition of Preference in Concurrent Chains

Cited by 43 publications

References 33 publications

RAPID ACQUISITION OF PREFERENCE IN CONCURRENT CHAINS: EFFECTS OF d‐AMPHETAMINE ON SENSITIVITY TO REINFORCEMENT DELAY

RAPID ACQUISITION OF PREFERENCE IN CONCURRENT CHAINS: EFFECTS OF d‐AMPHETAMINE ON SENSITIVITY TO REINFORCEMENT DELAY

Basolateral amygdala lesions and sensitivity to reinforcer magnitude in concurrent chains schedules

Rat choice in rapidly changing concurrent schedules

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