Reinforcement Magnitude and the Inhibiting Effect of Reinforcement

Michael, Jack L.

doi:10.1901/jeab.1979.32-265

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 11 publications

(13 reference statements)

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“…These studies showed that preference for the richer VI schedule was enhanced when punishment was applied equally to responding on both appetitive VI schedules. If the transition to lower rates of reinforcement may be viewed as punishing (Michael, 1979), then the present results may be viewed in a similar light; namely, punishment of choice enhanced preference for the richer alternative.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 71%

Effects of Reinforcement Context on Choice

Jacob¹,

Fantino²

1988

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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Two experiments investigated the effects of successive reinforcement contexts on choice. In the first, concurrent variable-interval schedules of primary reinforcement operated during the initial links of concurrent chains. The rate of this reinforcement arranged by the concurrent schedules was decreased across conditions: When it was higher than the terminal-link rate, preference for the higher frequency initial-link schedule increased relative to baseline. (During baseline, a standard concurrent-schedule procedure was in effect.) When the initial-link reinforcement rate was lower than the terminal-link rate, preference converged toward indifference. In the second experiment, a chain schedule was available on a third key while a concurrent schedule was in effect on the side keys. When the terminal link of the chain schedule was produced, the side keys became inoperative. Availability of the chain schedule did not affect choice between the concurrent schedules. These results show that only when successive reinforcement contexts are produced by choice responding do those successive contexts affect choice in concurrent schedules.Key words: concurrent schedules, concurrent chains, successive reinforcement context, choice, key peck, pigeonsContextual variables have been shown to be important determiners of behavior (e.g., Fantino & Dunn, 1983;Gibbon, 1981;Heyman & Bouzas, 1980;Rescorla, 1982;Reynolds, 1961;Williams, 1981). For example, the effects of reinforcement context on response rate have been demonstrated in experimental situations involving one (Rachlin & Baum, 1972), two (Catania, 1963;Duncan & Silberberg, 1982;Lobb & Davison, 1977;Rachlin & Baum, 1969;Wilkie, 1973), or three response keys (Davison & Hunter, 1976;Davison & Temple, 1974;Nevin, Mandell, & Yarensky, 1981). In the above experiments, an alternative source of reinforcement-the reinforcement context-varied in reinforcer amount (Rachlin & Baum, 1969) or rate (e.g., Catania, 1963), or the alternative reinforcers were delayed (e.g., Rachlin & Baum, 1972), signaled (e.g., Nevin et al., 1981), or delivered freely as opposed to response contingently (e.g., Duncan & Silberberg, 1982). The The effect of contextual reinforcement upon choice per se has also been investigated (Davison, 1982;Davison & Hunter, 1976;Davison & Temple, 1974;Fantino & Dunn, 1983;Lobb & Davison, 1977;McLean & White,. 1983;Miller & Loveland, 1974;Pliskoff & Brown, 1976;Pliskoff, Shull, & Gollub, 1968;Prelec & Herrnstein, 1978). In these studies, contextual reinforcement consisted of a schedule of primary reinforcement, operating in the presence of, and uniquely correlated with, an exteroceptive stimulus. The contextual-reinforcement schedule constituted an additional source of primary reinforcement, above and beyond that which maintained the choice responding under study. The reinforcement context was provided in one of two ways. In one group of studies, it consisted of a third choice alternative, added to the original two-alternative choice. The added choice alternative was arrange...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 71%

Effects of Reinforcement Context on Choice

Jacob¹,

Fantino²

1988

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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“…For example, from 1978 to 1981, a group of 8 to 10 graduate students met with Jack at his house on Sunday mornings (we called it "Sunday morning with Father Michael"). Our group provided Jack with a verbal community and contingencies to facilitate the completion of the papers he was working on (e.g., see the acknowledgments in Michael, 1979, 1980, and Michael, 1982a. Jack regularly sought out our advice and respected our input.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Consummate Skinnerian: Remembering Jack Michael

Sundberg¹

2021

Analysis Verbal Behav

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Go ask Jack." That was the advice often given in hallways at conferences and elsewhere. Jack Michael was our go-to person in behavior analysis for decades. The solution to complex quandaries could be found by just spending a few minutes with Jack, which he usually seized as a teaching opportunity. Teaching was Jack's passion and primary activity throughout his long professional career. His focus was mainly on B. F. Skinner's body of works. Jack's goal as a teacher was for his students to be able to analyze behavior in the same manner that Skinner analyzed behavior. A common mand from Jack to a student was "What would Skinner say?" In a recent interview with Jack, he said, "I was willing to dedicate my life to teaching Skinner, which I pretty much did, and I was quite satisfied with that" (Esch et al., 2017, p. 273).Jack taught his students how to use the concepts and principles of behavior analysis to think critically about behavioral events. He insisted on precision when talking about behavior. If a student's answer drifted too far in a cognitive direction, a "BAH!" could be found in the margin along with a possible point loss. Jack diligently prepared each class unit and lecture period, using a modified version of Keller's (1968) personalized system of instruction (Michael, 1991). At the core of Jack's classes were his weekly study objectives covering the reading material and his lectures. Students were expected to master the answers to dozens of detailed objectives and demonstrate that mastery on a lengthy essay exam. If a student failed to obtain a satisfactory grade, an equally lengthy remedial exam could be taken in an attempt to improve that grade. Students knew Jack's classes were hard and required a major time commitment, and sometimes they delayed taking them. But after completing one of his classes, most students were proud of their newfound grasp of behavior analysis and their ability to apply what they had learned. This was especially the case after students took his verbal behavior class.Jack was easily accessible to students. In addition to informal access, he maintained formal office hours where students could ask him or his graduate assistants questionsThe Analysis of Verbal Behavior

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Percentage Reinforcement and Behavioral Contrast in Chain Schedules

Kendall

1982

Psychol Rec

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Reinforcement Magnitude and the Inhibiting Effect of Reinforcement

Cited by 4 publications

References 11 publications

Effects of Reinforcement Context on Choice

Effects of Reinforcement Context on Choice

The Consummate Skinnerian: Remembering Jack Michael

Percentage Reinforcement and Behavioral Contrast in Chain Schedules

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