Temporal Analysis of Relevant and Irrelevant Behavior Components in Partial Reinforcement and Extinction

Abstract

Several time measures describing the essential or relevant and the irrelevant behavior components in a water-reinforced lever-pressing situation were studied in 30 rats as a function of four reinforcement ratios (1:1, 4:1, 8:1 and 16:1) and of extinction procedure. Although the traditional frequency measures were affected in the expected way, the distributions of time taken to perform the relevant components of the lever-pressing response were minimally affected by the transitions either from one ratio to another or from any ratio to the extinction procedure. This was contrasted by marked changes in the incidence of irrelevant activities (sniffing and grooming). The implications of these findings for the current views of the nature of partial-reinforcement and extinction effects are discussed.