The role of reinforcement and nonreinforcement in an "apparent frustration effect."

Abstract

"Two interpretations have been proposed to account for the finding that responses immediately following the nonreinforcement of a previously reinforced response are more vigorous than responses immediately following reinforcement. The frustration hypothesis proposes that this difference in response vigor, FE, is due to an increment in drive level (D) resulting from nonreinforcement, whereas the response-depression hypothesis proposes that it may be attributed to a decrement in D as a result of reinforcement." Data support the frustration hypothesis and contradict predictions from the response-depression hypothesis.