Group behavior of rats under schedules of reinforcement.

Hursh et al. (1974) put three rats in one cage. All rats could press the same lever.

The team ran classic schedules: fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval.

They compared how the trio acted versus single rats on the same schedules.

The group pressed faster and paused less after each reward.

The same schedule still controlled the overall pattern, just at a higher rate.

In short, groups amplify schedule effects rather than cancel them.

Appel (1968) had already shown that conjunctive schedules create long pauses in single rats. R et al. now show that a trio shortens those pauses, so the earlier "pause-and-run" signature shrinks when the unit is a group.

LeBlanc et al. (2003) later proved rich schedules make individual behavior more resistant to change. R et al. foreshadow this: trios under rich schedules kept pressing even faster, hinting that social presence may add extra resistance.

Kuroda et al. (2018) stressed that response–reinforcer correlation drives rate. R et al. fit that story, because each trio member still experienced the same correlation, only scaled through pooled effort.

When you move from one learner to a peer group, expect quicker responding and shorter breaks. Keep the same schedule, but tighten your mastery criterion or add brief pauses to avoid runaway rates.