RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE STRENGTH OF RESPONSE AS A FUNCTION OF FREQUENCY OF REINFORCEMENT 1, 2
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pigeons behave on a concurrent schedule under which they peck at either of two response-keys. The signifi-cant finding of this investigation was that the relative frequency of responding to each of the keys may be controlled within narrow limits by adjustments in an in-dependent variable. In brief, the requirement for rein-forcement in this procedure is the emission of a mini-mum number of pecks to each of the keys. The pigeon receives food when it completes the requirement on both keys. The frequency of responding to each key was a close approximation to the minimum re-quirement. The present experiment explores the relative fre-quency of responding further. In the earlier study it was shown that the output of behavior to each of two keys may be controlled by specific requirements of out-puts. Now we are investigating output as a function of frequency of reinforcement. The earlier experiment may be considered a study of differential reinforcement; the present one, a study of strength of response. Both experiments are attempts to elucidate the properties of rdlative frequency of responding as a dependent vari-able.
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The strict matching law equates the relative number of choices to the relative reinforcer frequency.
“The strict matching law equates these two quantities; the relative number of choices matches the relative reinforcer frequency (Herrnstein, 1961).”
From DYNAMIC RESPONSE-BY-RESPONSE MODELS OF MATCHING BEHAVIOR IN RHESUS MONKEYS (2005) · cites this paper as Herrnstein, 1961
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Background
- Authors
- Herrnstein, R. J.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Herrnstein, R. J.
- Venue
- Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 1961-07
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 267-272
- ISSN
- 0022-5002 (ISSN-L)
- 1938-3711
- PMC
- PMC1404074
- OpenAlex
- W2135886642
- Cited by
- 2,281
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 36 · 2025: 47 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 40 · 2022: 48 · 2021: 68 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 69 · 2018: 73 · 2017: 64 · 2016: 62 · 2015: 61 · 2014: 75 · 2013: 92 · 2012: 67
- FWCI
- 10.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Keywords
- concurrent schedules, differential reinforcement, pigeons, pecking behavior, independent variables
- MeSH terms
- Learning, Reinforcement, Psychology
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