SELECTIVE PUNISHMENT OF FIXED-RATIO PERFORMANCE.
Punishing different positions in an FR chain breaks different links in the response sequence.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Pigeons pecked a key on an FR 50 schedule. Each completed ratio gave food.
The team shocked the bird at one spot in the ratio: first, middle, or last response. They watched how the pause and rate changed.
What they found
Shock on the first response made the bird wait longer after food. Shock on the last response cut the final burst. Shock in the middle slowed the middle part.
Same punishment, different spot, different break point.
How this fits with other research
AZRIN (1959) already showed that any FR shock disrupts the run-pause pattern. F et al. now map exactly where the crack appears.
Winkler (1970) later repeated the idea with rats choosing between two FR levers. Shock on the preferred side quickly flipped the choice, showing the locus rule works in a choice set-up.
Dunham (1972) lengthened pauses with delayed food, not shock. Both studies prove the post-reinforcement pause is easy to stretch; one does it with punishment, the other with reinforcement delay.
Why it matters
If you use response interruption or a mild punisher in a chained task, aim it at the part you want to weaken. Early response? Expect longer wait time. Late response? Expect weaker finish. Match the spot to the clinical goal.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Key-pecking of pigeons, maintained by an FR 50 grain reinforcement schedule, was punished by shocking the first, middle, or last response of the ratio. Under high shock levels, the three punishment conditions produced differential effects on the behavior. Punishment of the first response of the ratio resulted in consistent and extended post-reinforcement pausing and frequent extended breaks after the initial response(s) of the ratio. Punishment of the 25th response disrupted responding in the first half of the ratio with little effect on the last half of the ratio. Punishment of the final response resulted in breaks and local rate changes in various parts of the ratio. Durations of pauses after reinforcement were more variable when the 25th and 50th responses were punished relative to those when the first response was punished.
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 1964 · doi:10.1901/jeab.1964.7-255