Time-out from fixed-ratio reinforcement: A systematic replication

Abstract

This study provided a systematic replication of the tlFR-TO effect": the finding that escapes from afixedratio SD increase as the work requirement is made more demanding. It made little difference whether the session was based on a constant number of reinforcements or on a constant period of time. ProblemUnder certain conditions, an organism will acquire and maintain a response which removes a stimulus associated with po sit i v e reinforcement. Specifically it has been demonstrated that rats and pigeons, working on fixed-ratio (FR) schedules, will occaSionally respond on a second manipulandum to produce a "time-out" (TO) condition, during which extinction and its correlated stimulus (S lI ) are in effect (Azrin, 1961;Appel, 1963;Thompson, 1964). It has also been found that frequency (Thompson, 1964) and duration (Azrin, 1961) of selfimposed TO are increasing monotonic functions of the FR requirement. This finding (tlFR-TO effect"), taken together with the observation that TOs are typically restricted to the post-reinforcement pause, suggests that the TO response can be viewed as an escape from some aversive aspect of the FR schedule; for example, effort and/or delay of reinforcement.The main purpose of the present investigation was to provide a systematic replication (Sidman, 1960) of the FR-TO effect. A procedure (fixed-duration TO) previously used with rats (Thompson, 1964) was employed with pigeons in order to establish interspecies generality. Also of interest was the comparisonoftwo different bases for terminating the session: fixed time vs. fixed number of reinforcements . Zimmerman & Ferster (1964) recently suggested that this variable may be critical in obtaining the FR-TO effect. SubjectsTwo adult, male, White Carneaux pigeons (P-1 and P-2) served as subjects. Both had previously been used in an experiment involving different colored key-lights and variable-interval schedules of reinforcement. The birds were maintained at 80% of their free-feeding weights, and were run on alternate days. Water was available at all times. ApparatusA pigeon box of the type described in detail elsewhere (Ferster & Skinner, 1957) was modified to contain two response keys: the FR key (blue), located above the food hopper on the front wall, and the TO key (white), at the same height situated on the side wall opposite the door. A white houselight was mounted on the back wall Psychon. Sci., 1%5, VoL 2.

Escape From Serial Stimuli Leading to Food

“…Again, behavior that has been categorized as "aggressive" occurs most frequently during the pause (Gentry, 1968;Hutchinson, Azrin, & Hunt, 1968). Again, during the pause pigeons peck a key that terminates the stimulus normally accompanying the schedule, even when that action reduces the frequency of reinforcement (Appel, 1963;Azrin, 1961;Thompson, 1964Thompson, , 1965. They also restore the stimulus by pecking the same key later in the interval between reinforcements.…”

Transfer of persistence from fixed-ratio barpress training to runway extinction

“…Second, both long-ratio schedules and extinction are known to produce aggressive behavior (Azrin, Hutchinson, & Hake, 1966;Gallup, 1965, Knutson, 1970 and escape behavior (Adelman & Maatsch, 1956;Azrin, 1961;Thompson, 1964Thompson, , 1965, and these behaviors have been attributed to either the frustrative nonreward or emotionality present in both cases. Third, increasing ratio requirements systematically increases aggressive behavior (e.g., Cherek & Pickens, 1970) and self-imposed extinction (Azrin, 1961), implicating again some degree and kind of emotionality associated with the higher ratio requirements.…”

SCHEDULE‐INDUCED ESCAPE FROM FIXED‐INTERVAL REINFORCEMENT1

“…When pigeons were allowed to control the durations of these escape periods, Azrin (1961) observed that the percentage of session time spent in escape, or timeout, increased monotonically as a function of the increasing response requirement of the fixedratio food schedule. Similarly, other investigators using rats (Thompson, 1964) as well as pigeons (Appel, 1963;Thomas and Sherman, 1965;Thompson, 1965) have reported that the frequency and duration of escapes increased as a function of the fixed-ratio schedule value.Typically, escape periods occur during the characteristic postreinforcement pause of fixedratio schedules. It has been suggested (Azrin, 1961;Thompson, 1964Thompson, , 1965 Zimmerman and Ferster (1964), no monotonic relationship was obtained between fixed-ratio response requirement and amount of escape or timeout behavior.…”

“…Similarly, other investigators using rats (Thompson, 1964) as well as pigeons (Appel, 1963;Thomas and Sherman, 1965;Thompson, 1965) have reported that the frequency and duration of escapes increased as a function of the fixed-ratio schedule value.…”