Madden Gregory J, Perone Michael
Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire, 54702-4004, USA.
J Exp Anal Behav. 2003 Mar;79(2):193-206. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2003.79-193.
Competing theories regarding the effects of delivering periodic response-independent reinforcement (more accurately, response-independent points exchanged for money) on a baseline rate of behavior were evaluated in human subjects. Contiguity theory holds that these events decrease target responding because incompatible behavior is adventitiously strengthened when the point deliveries follow target behavior closely in time. Matching theory holds that response-independent points, like any other alternative reinforcer, should reduce target responding. On this view, temporal contiguity between target responding and response-independent point delivery is unimportant. In our experiment, four different responses (moving a joystick in four different directions) were reinforced with points exchangeable for money according to four independent variable-interval schedules. Different schedules of point delivery were then superimposed on these baselines. When all superimposed point deliveries occurred immediately after one of the four responses (the target response), time allocated to target responding increased. When the superimposed point deliveries could be delivered at any time, time allocated to target responding declined and other behavior increased. When superimposed points could never immediately follow target responses, time allocated to target responding decreased further and other behavior or pausing predominated. The findings underscore the contribution of temporal contiguity in the effects of response-independent deliveries of food, money, points, etc.
关于给予周期性非应答依赖型强化（更准确地说，是用非应答依赖型点数兑换金钱）对行为基线率的影响，在人类受试者中评估了相互竞争的理论。接近性理论认为，这些事件会减少目标反应，因为当点数发放与目标行为在时间上紧密跟随的时候，不相容行为会意外地得到强化。匹配理论认为，非应答依赖型点数，与任何其他替代强化物一样，应该会减少目标反应。按照这种观点，目标反应与非应答依赖型点数发放之间的时间接近性并不重要。在我们的实验中，根据四个独立的可变间隔时间表，用可兑换金钱的点数强化四种不同的反应（将操纵杆向四个不同方向移动）。然后将不同的点数发放时间表叠加在这些基线上。当所有叠加的点数发放都在四种反应之一（目标反应）之后立即发生时，分配给目标反应的时间增加。当叠加的点数发放可以在任何时间进行时，分配给目标反应的时间减少，其他行为增加。当叠加的点数永远不会紧跟在目标反应之后时，分配给目标反应的时间进一步减少，其他行为或停顿占主导。这些发现强调了时间接近性在非应答依赖型发放食物、金钱、点数等的效果中的作用。
