Effects of Response‐independent Negative Reinforcers on Negatively Reinforced Key Pecking

Abstract

Previous research has shown that presenting response-independent positive reinforcers reduces the response rate of an operant maintained by positive reinforcement. The present experiment investigated a similar effect using shock-free time as a negative reinforcer. Brief shocks were delivered in the presence of a distinctive stimulus, and pigeon's key pecks were reinforced by the occasional presentation of a 2-minute shock-free period. Extra 2-minute shock-free periods were added independently of behavior. For each of three pigeons, response rate during shock-on periods declined with added shock-free periods; the more frequently the extra shock-free periods occurred the greater the decline in response rate. This outcome is predicted by extending the Law of Effect to include negative reinforcement.

Operant extinction: Elimination and generation of behavior.

“…One interpretation of this extinction procedure is that it is the extreme of the Hutton and Lewis (1979) procedure described in the preceding section. That is, removing the negative reinforcer is tantamount to continuously delivering all negativereinforcer-free periods, independent of responding.…”

“…Rescorla & Skucy, 1969). Hutton and Lewis (1979) delivered response-independent electric shocks to pigeons every 3 s. Pecking a transilluminated key occasionally suspended shocks and changed the key color for 2 min. The rate of the pigeons' escape responding decreased as the number of shock-free periods delivered independently of responding increased.…”

Overcoming avoidance in anxiety disorders: The contributions of Pavlovian and operant avoidance extinction methods

“…This operant extinction procedure involves arranging shock-free periods independent of responding ( Figure 2). Providing response-independent deliveries of the negative reinforcer (i.e., shock-Avoidance Extinction 17 free periods) has been shown to reduce negatively-reinforced responding in pigeons (Hutton & Lewis, 1979) and rats (Coulson et al, 1970) to near-zero levels. Hutton and Lewis (1979) first arranged brief, fixed deliveries of shock and reinforced pigeons' (escape) responding with longer, shock-free periods.…”

“…Providing response-independent deliveries of the negative reinforcer (i.e., shock-Avoidance Extinction 17 free periods) has been shown to reduce negatively-reinforced responding in pigeons (Hutton & Lewis, 1979) and rats (Coulson et al, 1970) to near-zero levels. Hutton and Lewis (1979) first arranged brief, fixed deliveries of shock and reinforced pigeons' (escape) responding with longer, shock-free periods. Additional shock-free periods were also available independently of responding and it was found that escape responding decreased as responseindependent presentations of the negative reinforcer increased.…”

Aquisição, extinção e reaquisição do comportamento de variar sob contingências de esquiva

“…Ou seja, todos os estímulos aversivos programados para a sessão são apresentados, não havendo qualquer consequência reforçadora (i.e., prevenção ou remoção do estímulo aversivo) contingente ao responder. No segundo procedimento, ora estímulos aversivos ora "períodos de segurança" (i.e., intervalos livres de apresentação de estímulos aversivos) são apresentados ao sujeito experimental, sem qualquer relação de dependência com suas respostas (Coulson, Coulson, & Gardner, 1970;Hutton & Lewis, 1979). Por fim, no terceiro procedimento, não há apresentação de estimulação aversiva, a despeito da ocorrência ou não da resposta (D'Amato, Fazzaro, & Etkin, 1967;Sidman, 1955a).…”