The origin and functions of adjunctive behavior

Abstract

The major determinants of schedule-induced or adjunctive behavior are reviewed briefly. Adjunctive behavior and its ethological equivalent, displacement activity, has a stabilizing function on agonistic, mating, parental, and intermittent-feeding behavior when any of these activities are in unstable equilibrium with an escape vector. This buffering action of adjunctive behavior is analogous to the diversity-stability rule of ecology in which an increase in the diversity of species stabilizes the populations of the component species, thereby preventing extinction. Opposing behavioral vectors in unstable equilibrium can function to exaggerate certain behavioral adjuncts that preexist in a situation. The resulting increase in diversification (information] augments the overall stability of the opposing-vector circumstance, conserving the context. This strengthening process is discussed in relation to ritualization and the preadaptation of exaggerated behavior to new functions.The nature and determinants of adjunctive behavior were described in a previous article (Falk , 1971). Briefly, "adjunctive behavior" refers to behavior that is maintained at a high probability by stimuli which derive their exaggerated reinforcing efficacy primarily as a function of schedule parameters governing the availability of another dass of reinforcing events. The present account will attempt to answer the questions of how the adjunctive determination of behavior may have evolved and what adaptive functions it might serve. Considerable information has accumulated concerning the variables which determine adjunctive behavior. A few of the major features will be described at the outset, but the treatment is far from complete. This is neither a review nor even a synoptic summary.Animals (rats, mice, pigeons, squirrel and rhesus monkeys, chimpanzees) reduced in body weight and given small portions of food at certain fixed or irregular times in daily sessions quickly develop excessive and persistent behavioral adjuncts. For exarnple, rats earning 45-mg food pellets by leverpressing on a variable-intervall-min schedule or on a fixed-interval 90-sec schedule for a few hours per day drink extensive draughts of water after consuming each pellet (Falk, 1961(Falk, , 1969. This scheduleinduced polydipsia continues daily as lang as the generator schedule conditions remain in effect.

Motivational mechanisms and schedule-induced behavioral stereotypy

“…This contradicts the original position of Staddon and Simmelhag (1971) and Falk (1977), who suggested that qualitatively different uess should produce different terminal behavior but, ifpresented in a similar experimental setting, should produce similar interim behavior. In these experiments, the associative elements of terminal behavior (initiation and distribution ofpecking) were similar with the two motivational stimuli, but keypecks differed in subtle ways that could reflect differences in consummatory response topography associated with the two uess.…”

“…Although terminal behaviors are fairly well understood, interim behaviors have resisted a simple characterization. Falk (1977) suggested that adjunctive behavior serves a stabilizing function at times when the behavioral expression of the dominant drive is thwarted. In those situThis research was supported in part by NIH Grant BRSG 2-S07-RR-07062 awarded to the second author.…”

“…According to the behavior-system approach, different motivational systems consist of different behavioral modules and, hence, would be expected to produce different interim and terminal behavior forms. On the other hand, according to Staddon and Simmelhag (1971) and Falk (1977), interim behavior should be similar with different UCSs presented in similar situations, because the interim "state" reflects increased responsiveness to other UCSs in the environment. The present research compared interim and terminal behavioral patterns that develop in response to intermittent presentations of food and water.…”

Aggression Escalated by Social Instigation or by Discontinuation of Reinforcement (“Frustration”) in Mice Inhibition by Anpirtoline: A 5-HT1B Receptor Agonist

“…Increased biting after discontinuation of scheduled reinforcement may represent a form of adjunctive behavior (Falk 1971). It has been postulated that adjunctive behavior or displacement activity has a stabilizing function on agonistic, mating, parental, and intermittent feeding behavior when any of these activities are variable (Falk 1977). It is possible that individuals with low "frustration" tolerance, who rapidly and frequently exhibit intense aggressive behavior, are also likely to engage in other forms of impulsive behavior.…”

Comportamento adjunto: controvérsias e contribuições teóricas

“…Para Wetherington, isso é evidência de que o comportamento adjunto não deve ser interpretado como um sub-produto ou efeito colateral do esquema de reforço, mas como um resultado direto da intermitência do estí-mulo. A função adaptativa do comportamento adjunto ou do comportamento deslocado seria a de manter o sujeito na situação de conflito quando esta é altamente favorável e o comportamento de fuga ineficaz (Falk, 1977;. Por exemplo, quando a taxa de liberação de alimento de um esquema é baixa, a probabilidade do comportamento de aproximação (dirigido ao comedouro) é também baixa e a do comportamento de fuga (afastamento do comedouro) é alta.…”