ON THE LAW OF EFFECT¹

Abstract

Experiments on single, multiple, and concurrent schedules of reinforcement find various correlations between the rate of responding and the rate or magnitude of reinforcement. For concurrent schedules (i.e., simultaneous choice procedures), there is matching between the relative frequencies of responding and reinforcement; for multiple schedules (i.e., successive discrimination procedures), there are contrast effects between responding in each component and reinforcement in the others; and for single schedules, there are a host of increasing monotonic relations between the rate of responding and the rate of reinforcement. All these results, plus several others, can be accounted for by a coherent system of equations, the most general of which states that the absolute rate of any response is proportional to its associated relative reinforcement.

The Matching Law: A Tutorial for Practitioners

“…To account for a single-alternative conceptualization of choice, Herrnstein (1970) proposed a modification to the matching law to account for all possible responses and sources of reinforcement (B e and R e , respectively), such that:…”

“…In this sense, a "choice" is nothing more than the emission of a particular response in lieu of others. Every instance of operant responding represents the choice to engage in that given behavior at that moment in time, whether due to positive or negative reinforcement (Herrnstein, 1970).…”

Economic context and pigeons’ risk-taking: an integrative approach

“…Stephens & Krebs 1986;Bateson & Kacelnik 1995), behavioral economists (e.g. Hursh 1980;Hastjarjo & Silberberg 1992;Silberberg, Bauman & Hursh 1993) and psychologists in animal learning (e.g., Fantino & Abarca, 1985;Herrnstein 1970;Rachlin & Green 1972).…”

“…This equation reduces to Herrnstein's (1970) matching law when the terminal links are zero (t1= 0 and t2= 0). In several of the present experiments, terminal links are kept constant across conditions while the duration of the initial links (search time) is varied.…”

Learning to cooperate without awareness in multiplayer minimal social situations

“…The greater the satisfaction or discomfort, the greater the strengthening or weakening of the bond. (Thorndike, 1911, p. 244) This is a fundamental behavioral law (Bonem & Crossman, 1988;Dennett, 1975;Ferster & Skinner, 1957;Skinner, 1969;Teigen, 2002), in spite of certain controversies that have attended it (Bitterman & Schoel, 1970;Herrnstein, 1970), and learning processes approximating it occur pervasively in nature (Bitterman, 1975;Nowak & Sigmund, 1993). Camerer (2003, chap.…”