Compounding stimuli controlling simultaneously present topographically different responses
Titel:
Compounding stimuli controlling simultaneously present topographically different responses
Auteur:
Howard, Robert W. Cropp, David F. Atmore, David L.
Verschenen in:
Australian journal of psychology
Paginering:
Jaargang 28 (1976) nr. 2 pagina's 83-90
Jaar:
1976-08-01
Inhoud:
Six rats were trained on a three-component multiple schedule in which barpressing was occasionally reinforced during a lights stimulus (L) and pulling a loop was occasionally reinforced during a noise stimulus (N). Neither response was reinforced when both stimuli were absent (L + N). For three rats, the compatible group, both responses could be emitted simultaneously, but for the other three rats, the incompatible group, the responses could not. When L and N were presented together, two rats from each group emitted a greater total of presses and pulls during this compound than during either L or N alone. When this summation effect occurred, it was due to an increase in the number of barpresses during the compound relative to L alone. The two rats that did not consistently show summation to the compound loop-pulled at a rate two or three times greater than the rate which they barpressed, while the other rats showed a much smaller relative response rate difference or none at all. There was no apparent difference in behaviour between the compatible and incompatible groups during the compounding test.