Patterning with fixed-time schedules of response-independent reinforcement.
Past reinforcement schedules can hijack new ones, so always check the learner's history first.
01Research in Context
What they found
Birds with fixed-ratio history changed their pecking style.
Instead of steady pecking, they started slow and sped up.
This shows old schedules stick in the bird's brain.
The past changed how they acted in the new setup.
How this fits with other research
Okouchi et al. (2006) found the same thing later.
They showed prior reinforcement rate alone changes later response rates.
This backs up Dove et al. (1974) with tighter controls.
Davison et al. (1991) also saw history effects in rats.
They found past schedules plus water access changed fixed-interval patterns.
This extends the 1974 work to new species and added factors.
Halpern et al. (1966) showed fixed-ratio schedules create long pauses.
This gives the baseline that explains why fixed-ratio history matters.
Why it matters
Your client's past reinforcement matters as much as your current plan.
Before starting any schedule, ask what came before.
If a child had token boards every 5 responses, don't jump to free praise every 30 seconds.
The old pattern will bleed through.
Start with brief probes and watch for carry-over effects.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Pigeons were first exposed to a schedule providing food when the time between successive key pecks (the interresponse time) exceeded a specified duration. When food then was presented at regular intervals independent of responding (fixed-time schedule), responses typically occurred at a steady rate in the periods between successive food presentations. Once the birds had been exposed to a fixed-ratio schedule, however, response rate under fixed-time schedules was positively accelerated. Variations in the sequence of conditions given different subjects indicated that the changes in patterning were due to the fixed-ratio schedule, rather than to the number of transitions from a response-dependent to the response-independent fixed-time schedule, to changed parameter values, or to prolonged experience with the fixed-time schedule. The effects of fixed-time schedules on patterning depended upon experimental history.
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 1974 · doi:10.1901/jeab.1974.22-135