Mace F C, Neef N A, Shade D, Mauro B C
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
J Appl Behav Anal. 1996 Spring;29(1):11-24. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1996.29-11.
Students with learning difficulties participated in two studies that analyzed the effects of problem difficulty and reinforcer quality upon time allocated to two sets of arithmetic problems reinforced according to a concurrent variable-interval 30-s variable-interval 120-s schedule. In Study 1, high- and low-difficulty arithmetic problems were systematically combined with rich and lean concurrent schedules (nickels used as reinforcers) across conditions using a single-subject design. The pairing of the high-difficulty problems with the richer schedule failed to offset time allocated to that alternative. Study 2 investigated the interactive effects of problem difficulty and reinforcer quality (nickels vs. program money) upon time allocation to arithmetic problems maintained by the concurrent schedules of reinforcement. Unlike problem difficulty, the pairing of the lesser quality reinforcer (program money) with the richer schedule reduced the time allocated to that alternative. The magnitude of this effect was greatest when combined with the low-difficulty problems. These studies have important implications for a matching law analysis of asymmetrical reinforcement variables that influence time allocation.
有学习困难的学生参与了两项研究，这两项研究分析了问题难度和强化物质量对分配给根据并发可变间隔30秒可变间隔120秒时间表强化的两组算术问题的时间的影响。在研究1中，使用单受试者设计，在不同条件下将高难度和低难度算术问题与丰富和贫乏的并发时间表（使用镍币作为强化物）系统地结合起来。高难度问题与更丰富的时间表的配对未能抵消分配给该选项的时间。研究2调查了问题难度和强化物质量（镍币与程序货币）对并发强化时间表维持的算术问题时间分配的交互作用。与问题难度不同，质量较低的强化物（程序货币）与更丰富的时间表的配对减少了分配给该选项的时间。当与低难度问题结合时，这种效果的程度最大。这些研究对影响时间分配的不对称强化变量的匹配律分析具有重要意义。
