Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/11375/12932
Title: | A Model of Response-Reinforcer Contingency |
Authors: | Scott, Kenneth Gregory |
Advisor: | Platt, J.R. |
Department: | Psychology |
Keywords: | Psychology;Psychology |
Publication Date: | Aug-1982 |
Abstract: | <p>The experiments reported in this thesis investigated the effect of response-reinforcer contingency on response differentiation. Since the failure to control response probability in previous studies had led to difficulties. the present experiments employed percentile schedules to control response probability. Response-reinforcer contingency was indexed by the measure of statistical association between two dichotomous variables known as the phi coefficient (ϕ). and a model of this independent variable was developed to permit a systematic investigation of contingency in operant conditioning. This model was tested using rats in a spatial response differentiation paradigm. The results of three experiments revealed that the higher the value of ϕ. the more effective the shaping of response location to a target location. Despite differences between experiments in the way the independent variable was manipulated. across all three experiments there was a very orderly relationship between asymptotic conditioning and ϕ. These experiments demonstrate the importance of response-reinforcer contingency in response differentiation and provide support for a model of contingency in operant conditioning based on ϕ.</p> |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11375/12932 |
Identifier: | opendissertations/7776 8871 4123750 |
Appears in Collections: | Open Access Dissertations and Theses |
Files in This Item:
File | Size | Format | |
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fulltext.pdf | 34.7 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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