Effects of reinforcement schedules on stimulus control of discriminated operants

Abstract

Since Ferster (1958; 1960) demonstrated that intermittent reinforcement of discri­minated operant changed the stimulus control of the operants, a number of studies have been conducted on this nature of reinforcement schedules. Reinforcement schedules affect the stimulus control in several ways. For instance, when ratio schedules are adopted to reinforce units of discriminated operants, the accuracy of the operants in­creases: i.e., these schedules strengthen overall stimulus control of the discriminated operants. When fixed schedules, ratio or interval, are adopted, the accuracy is low soon after reinforcement: i.e., the schedules control temporal change in the strength of stimulus control of the discriminated operants. When variable interval schedules reinforce simple operants within units of discriminated performances, they may strengthen types· stimulus control by relational aspects of the stimuli presented: i.e., the schedules may change the quality of stimulus control. This paper gives a brief review of the literature.