Contrast, induction, facilitation, suppression, and conservation.

Allison (1976) ran rats on mixed schedules of food pellets. The animals could press a lever or drink water at any time.

Each session switched between rich and lean reinforcement rates. The team recorded both responses minute-by-minute.

When the schedule grew rich, lever pressing rose and drinking fell. When it turned lean, the opposite happened.

The size of these swings matched the conservation equation: total behavior stayed near a fixed ceiling.

Burgio et al. (1986) later showed the same contrast can come from two paths. If water bottles are present and rats are thirsty, drinking competes directly with pressing. If bottles are absent, contrast still appears through a non-competitive arousal route. The 1976 numbers fit both routes.

White (1978) tracked where rats stood instead of how fast they pressed. Time-allocation data echoed the 1976 rate changes, giving a second measure for the same conservation pattern.

Raslear et al. (1992) moved the test into a closed economy. Rats lived 24/7 in the chamber. Contrast and conservation still held, showing the rule survives outside short lab sessions.

If you run multiple schedules with clients, watch all topographies, not just the target response. When reinforcement rises in one component, other responses may drop even without direct intervention. Use that trade-off to set realistic goals: boosting communication minutes might naturally cut stereotypy seconds. Track two behaviors, not one, and let the conservation equation guide your expectation.