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| #343 Poster Session – EAB |
| Monday, May 31, 2004 |
| 12:00 PM–1:30 PM |
| Exhibit Hall D (Hynes) |
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| 70. Delay Reduction with Constant Terminal-link Ratios in Time Schedules |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| PAUL ROMANOWICH (University of California, San Diego) |
| Abstract: Mazur’s (2002) pigeon experiment which showed a lack of constant difference invariance when the subtractive difference of the terminal-links in a concurrent-chains procedure were kept constant at 10 s was replicated. The current study uses both FT and VT terminal-links, like the Mazur (2002) experiment, but instead of keeping the subtractive difference constant keeps the ratio between the two terminal links constant at 3:1. Results indicate an increasing preference for the smaller of the two terminal links as absolute duration between terminal links increased, supporting delay-reduction theory. |
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| 71. Choice as Matter of Procedure: A Reanalysis of Data in the Literature |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| LAURO EUGENIO GUIMARAES NALINI (Pontifical Catholic University of Goias, Brazil), Joao Claudio Todorov (Pontifical Catholic University of Goias, Brazil), Cristiano Coelho (Pontifical Catholic University of Goias, Brazil) |
| Abstract: Data from experiments reported in the literature involving concurrent variable interval, variable interval schedules with variation of reinforcement distribution in different experimental conditions were reanalysed according to the procedure used to program the concurrent schedules, without a changeover delay contingent on switching responses: two main keys, one changeover key and one main key, one changeover and two main keys, and two changeover keys and one main key. Sensitivity of behavior distribution to reinforcement distribution between the schedules increases with increased specification of the discriminated operants involved in the experimental situation. |
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| 72. Within-Session Changes in Responding for People Working on a Computer Puzzle |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| ROBERTA S. VARAO (Washington State University), Frances K. McSweeney (Washington State University), Benjamin P. Kowal (Washington State University), Alice A. Keyl (Washington State University), Melissa Elliot (Washington State University) |
| Abstract: Within-session changes in responding are believed to be governed by sensitization and habituation. These changes are created by changes in the effectiveness of the reinforcer with its repeated presentation during the session. Although non-human animal behavior is often explained by changes in the effectiveness of reinforcers, similar human behaviors are usually explained in terms of complex cognitive processes. In the current investigation 30 college students responded on a computer jigsaw puzzle for 40 min. Following the puzzle, students were asked to fill out a questionnaire that assessed their subjective feelings about the experiment. Clicks on the mouse were the measured response. Increases and decreases in responding were both observed. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA (time) was applied to the rates of responding. The main effect of time was found to be significant, F (7,245) = 3.285, p <.05. Sensitization and habituation provided a simple and parsimonious explanation for the changes in responding that were observed. Most students reported enjoying their participation in the experiment. |
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| 73. Further Analysis of the Effects of Reinforcement Delays on Response Acquisition |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| THOMAS P. BYRNE (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts), Scott Tirrell (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts), Teresa May-Benson (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts) |
| Abstract: Rats acquired lever pressing under a two-lever procedure in which responses on one lever produced water under a resetting delay of 15 s, and responses on a second lever canceled upcoming reinforcers. All subjects demonstrated acquisition by emitting significantly more responses on the lever that produced reinforcement. Once subjects met acquisition criteria, they were exposed to a multiple schedule in which the delay values were changed to 10 and 20 seconds. After stability criteria were obtained under the multiple schedules, rats were exposed to extinction. In each of the three phases, sessions were videotaped and analyzed for evidence of superstitious response chains. Although learning was evident, most subjects continued to emit some behavior on the cancellation lever even though this lever never resulted in water delivery. Results are discussed in relation to behavioral momentum theory. |
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| 74. Self-control and Impulsiveness in Adult Human Females: Effects of Deprivation and Visual Food Cues |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| LORI-ANN B. FORZANO (State University of New York at Brockport) |
| Abstract: Self-control can be defined as the choice of a larger, more delayed reinforcer over a smaller, less delayed reinforcer, and impulsiveness as the opposite. Adult humans exhibit varying degrees of self-control and impulsiveness in laboratory experiments using food as the reinforcer. Previous research indicates that the presence of food cues affects participant’s self –control. Previous research also indicates that hunger affects self-control. The present experiment used adult human females to explore the effects of these two variables on self-control. The results suggest that presence of visual food cues and hunger influence adult human females' self-control for food reinforcers. |
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| 75. The Role of Type of Response in the Appearance of Contrast or Induction |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| BRENT C. HANSON (University of North Dakota), Jeffrey N. Weatherly (University of North Dakota) |
| Abstract: Research from our lab has shown that rats reliably increase their rate of operant responding for 1% sucrose when 32% sucrose reinforcement is upcoming. However, research has also demonstrated that rats will decrease their consumption of 1% sucrose when access to 32% sucrose is upcoming. We investigated whether the appearance of these different changes in behavior were linked to the type of response (i.e., consummatory vs. operant; licking vs. lever pressing) under study. In Experiment 1, licking or lever pressing was reinforced with 1% sucrose in the first half of the 30-min sessions and was reinforced with either 1 or 32% sucrose (depending on condition) for engaging in the opposite behavior in the second half. In Experiment 2, the same procedure was employed but licking was a consummatory response. Both experiments produced contrast, not induction, effects. These results suggest that the type of response subjects engage in (in either half of the session) does not determine the appearance of contrast or induction. They do, however, support other findings from our lab that suggest that the appearance of contrast is linked to delivering the different substances to different locations. |
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| 76. The Effects of Dominance Hierachy on the Social Preferences of Domestic Hens |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| AMY TANNAHILL (University of Waikato, New Zealand), Catherine E. Sumpter (University of Waikato, New Zealand), William Temple (University of Waikato, New Zealand), Therese Mary Foster (University of Waikato, New Zealand) |
| Abstract: The current experiment examined hens' social preferences. In a preliminary experiment, the social hierachy of a flock of ten hens was established in order to select the two most dominant and two most subordinate hens of the flock. In a subsequent experiment, the preferences of the remaining six hens for waiting in the presence of a dominant or subordinate hen were examined in a modified concurrent-chains procedure. The results of the experiments are discussed in relation to the flocking behaviour of hens. |
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| 77. The Effects of Food Restriction on Binge Eating and Drinking Behavior in Rats |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| HECTOR MARTINEZ SANCHEZ (University of Guadalajara, Mexico), Antonio Lopez-Espinoza (University of Guadalajara, Mexico), Marbella Rosales (ITESO) |
| Abstract: Eighteen albino rats (5-month-old at the beginning of the experiment) were deprived of food for a period of 72 hours, and then returned to free food access according to one of the three procedures. The first procedure involved a return to the average of food intake during the initial twenty days (that is, during the baseline). The second procedure involved a gradual return to free food access, starting with 10 grams of food (for females) or 15 grams of food (for males) and adding one gram every day until reaching the baseline average of food intake. In a third, control procedure, rats returned immediately to 50 available grams of food per day. Water was freely available during the experiment. In the control procedure, eating and excessive drinking were observed. In the two other groups, binge eating and drinking were controlled by limiting food access. These results suggest that restriction of food availability could be a useful procedure to prevent eating disorders. Keywords: binge eating, binge drinking, food deprivation, food availability, eating disorders, food and water intake, rats. |
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| 78. Surprisingly Indifferent Preference Patterns between Fixed and Random Interval Schedules: The Role of Schedule Discrimination |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| MICHELLE ENNIS SORETH (Temple University), Claudia D. Cardinal (University of Nevada, Reno), Philip N. Hineline (Temple University) |
| Abstract: Variable schedules are often preferred to fixed alternatives, a result usually attributed to occasional small intervals or ratios contained in the variable schedule. However, we have found that when these small minimum values are eliminated from the variable schedule, preference for the fixed alternative increases but does not become exclusive. This is true even when the fixed schedule pays off twice as frequently as the variable alternative. To examine the role of schedule discrimination in this surprising behavioral pattern, six pigeons were exposed to a concurrent-chains procedure with fixed interval (FI) 30" and random interval (RI) 60" terminal links. Across conditions the reinforcement rate of the RI was held constant, and the programmed delay to reinforcement from the onset of the RI was never shorter than the FI value. The RI sampling method was manipulated such that in one condition the likelihood of the RI equaling the FI value was higher than in another condition in which each interval value greater than the FI had an equal likelihood of being selected. The reversal design revealed that patterns of indifference were more likely to be observed in RI schedules that contained trials that were often equal to the FI value. |
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| 79. Effect of Signal on Resistance to Change in a Multiple Schedule |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| KATHARINE SEIP (Santa Clara University), Matthew C. Bell (Santa Clara University) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a signal on resistance to change using a multiple schedule of reinforcement. Three schedules were used: a signaled delay-to-reinforcement schedule (a chain variable-interval fixed-time schedule, where each part of the chain was correlated with different stimuli), an unsignaled delay-to-reinforcement schedule (a tandem variable-interval fixed-time schedule, where both parts of the tandem were correlated with one stimulus), and an immediate, zero-delay variable-interval schedule. Resistance to change was assessed using two separate disruption procedures: extinction sessions and sessions in which a variable-time schedule of reinforcement was added to timeout periods. Tests were conducted twice, once with the signal (the stimulus correlated with the fixed-time portion of the chain schedule) present and once with the signal absent. Extinction tests revealed no difference between signal-present and signal-absent conditions. However, when the variable-time schedule was added to timeout periods, a repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant main effect of signal and a significant signal-by-session interaction, suggesting decreased resistance to change during signal-absent conditions. These results have implications for the role of conditioned reinforcement in resistance to change. |
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| 80. P300 ERPs in Human Operant Learning and Passive Observation Paradigms |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| STEVEN F. FAUX (Drake University), Angie Michelle Bodling (Drake University), Seth Robb (Drake University) |
| Abstract: The P300 event-related potential (P300) is a brain-electric response that is produced in conjunction with an operant response to a discriminative stimulus (S+). In previous studies from this laboratory the amplitude of the P300 was correlated with the acquisition and extinction of an operant response in humans. That is, the amplitude of the P300 increased with acquisition and decreased with extinction. Also, reinforcing stimuli (R+) appeared to produce a P300-like response, but this brain response might have been an artifact of the interruption of an otherwise steady train of S+ and S- presentations by the R+. Since R+ events are unique and relatively rare, it is important to determine whether it is the reinforcing property of the R+ or the distinctiveness of the R+ that evokes the P300. In this study, one group of participants played an operant learning game in order to earn points. A variety of keyboard symbols (i.e., +, #, &, @, and %) were presented repeatedly, singly and randomly on a computer screen. After a baseline period, button presses to the "+" earned points. Passive participants, yoked to the operant subjects, observed the same sequence of events, but those events were not contingent upon behavior. This current study will compare P300 responses to contingent versus non-contingent events. We conclude the P300 may be a useful tool in studies of the three-term contingency in humans. |
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| 81. Matching- and Nonmatching-to-Sample with Olfactory Stimuli in Rats |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| RHIANNON D. THOMAS (University of North Carolina at Wilmington), Laurence Miller (University of North Carolina at Wilmington), Mark Galizio (University of North Carolina at Wilmington) |
| Abstract: It has been to difficult to demonstrate generalized matching-to-sample in rats with visual or auditory stimuli. The present study used olfactory stimuli and trained rats to dig in cups of sand scented with household spices and baited with food reinforcers. Digging in a sample scent produced two comparison scents and, for three rats, digging in the comparison cup that matched the sample was reinforced. Non-matching was reinforced for the other three. All rats were exposed to 25-35 sessions of training with five scents and reached above chance levels of accuracy. Five novel stimuli were then introduced and performances were above chance on the initial session. After 15 session of training, five more novel stimuli were introduced and the contingencies reversed (rats trained to match-to-sample were now reinforced for non-matching and vice versa). Performances under the new contingencies were well below chance and remained poor for many sessions. These data suggest that rats may be able to learn generalized matching and non-matching when stimuli are presented in the olfactory modality. |
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| 82. Establishing Within-subject Procedures for Studying Sustained Attention in Persons with Mental Retardation |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| ADAM H. DOUGHTY (University of Kansas), Dean C. Williams (University of Kansas), Kathryn Saunders (University of Kansas) |
| Abstract: The study of sustained attention among persons with mental retardation typically involves between-subject comparisons, brief experimental exposure, and instructions. This research sought to establish procedures for studying sustained attention in such persons for extended periods of time using within-subject procedures. Adults with mild mental retardation were exposed in each session to a conditional-position discrimination. A response to the letter “Y” (on the lower left side of a computer screen) was correct in the presence of the digit “10” (center of the screen) and a response to the letter “N” (lower right side of the screen) was correct in the presence of all other digits (11, 12…19). Sustained attention was defined as the persistence of accurate discriminations within and across sessions and was measured as a function of practice, feedback, and reinforcement. The degree of sustained attention was different across conditions, and procedures were obtained for effectively sustaining attention across extended periods of time. It is suggested that such procedures are noteworthy because they allow for the future study of other variables (behavioral, cognitive, and pharmacological) on sustained attention in persons with mental retardation. |
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| 83. An Examination of Preferences for the Near Miss in Slot Machine Play |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| PATIENCE R. NIEMOTH (University of Northern Iowa), Dustin Daugherty (University of Northern Iowa), Michael F. Pisney (University of Northern Iowa), Otto H. Maclin (University of Northern Iowa) |
| Abstract: This study focused on preferences for a slot machine with multiple near miss situations compared to another one with the same schedule, but no near miss trials. Participants were asked to play a simulated slot machine, created by MacLin, Dixon, and Hayes, for 50 minutes. A history with each machine was created by denying access to a machine for five minutes and then doing the same for the alternate machine. After this ten minute interval participants were allowed to play the machine of their choice. When controlling for the primacy effect and preferences for left and right, the research team determined there was a slight preference for the near miss slot machine. |
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| 84. The Effects of Brief Delays on the Performance of Verbal Conditioning |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| KANAME MOCHIZUKI (National Institute of Multimedia Education), Hitoshi Ohnishi (National Institute of Multimedia Education), Satoshi Yamazaki (Chiba Institute of Technology) |
| Abstract: We examined the effects of brief delays on the performance of verbal conditioning. During the baseline phase, participants' echoic verbal responses were reinforced by a verbal praise of computer, when they were recognized properly by a speech recognition system on a computer. When we introduced brief delays (1000m-sec, 500m-sec, 300m-sec) between participants' echoic response and reinforcement, the echoic performances were significantly decreased. But the 200m-sec delay did not affect the performances. |
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| 85. “Prospective” Timing with a Reversal Learning Technique |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| TAKU ISHII (Keio University, Japan), Takayuki Sakagami (Keio University, Japan) |
| Abstract: In our experiments with pigeons, we used a reversal learning technique with a concurrent-chains procedure. A fixed cumulative number of responses made to either of two alternatives terminated an initial link. Choice of one alternative was followed by a short terminal link and choice of the other a long one. When the pigeon chose the short alternative in five successive trials or more, locations of both the alternatives were reversed probabilistically. After several sessions with this procedure, the pigeons learned to switch their choice immediately after the reversal. This result suggests that choice behavior in a concurrent-chains procedure can be subjected to discriminative control by the duration of a preceding terminal link, although in past theories the choice behavior has been considered to reflect conditioned reinforcement values of following terminal-link stimuli, a major determinant of which is a terminal-link delay of reinforcement. Our subsequent experiment revealed that when the number of required responses in the initial link was increased, intermediate requirements produced the most accurate performance of reversal learning. This may be interpreted as counteracting results of saliency of preceding choice behavior and time to complete next choice behavior, both of which are functions of the number of required responses. |
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| 86. REM Sleep Deprivation Effects on Stereotypic Behavior in Mice |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| MICHAEL E. MAY (Vanderbilt University), Craig H. Kennedy (Vanderbilt University) |
| Abstract: Introduction: REM sleep deprivation (REMSD) is known to increase rates of negatively reinforced behavior and exacerbate hyperactivity. Although much is known about the effects of sleep loss on problematic behaviors such as aggression and self-injury, no research exists that examines the effects of REMSD on stereotypy. Given the introduction of animal models for examining various psychological and developmental disorders, influences on stereotypic responding can be easily investigated. The findings from these studies can be linked with clinical phenomena found in humans with developmental disabilities. Purpose: To determine the effects of REMSD on stereotypic behaviors emitted by mice using the spontaneous stereotypy model developed by Powell and colleagues (1999). Subjects: 48 Peromyscus Maniculatus Bairdii (deer mice) were randomly divided into 6 experimental conditions. Method: After weening, animals were assigned to a housing arrangement (standard cage, late enriched environment, early enriched environment) for approximately 60 days. Baseline was conducted for 3 days prior to the experimental condition during a 10 min observation period on the rate of repetitive jackhammering and backward somersaulting. Mice were then assigned to a sleep condition (i.e., cage control, tank control, REMSD) for 24 hr and subsequently observed for stereotypic responding. Results: Mice exposed to REMSD engaged in more stereotypy than mice in control conditions. Likewise, animals in standard cages engaged in more stereotypy than mice in enriched environments. There was also an interaction between experimental condition and housing condition (i.e., mice exposed to REMSD conditions living in standard cages engaged in more stereotypy than mice in enriched environments. Implications: REMSD significantly alters motivational properties associated with stereotypic responding in mice. |
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| 87. Examining the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR) as an Animal Model of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): An Analysis of Delay-of-Reinforcement Gradients |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| ERIN J. PITTS (James Madison University), Sherry L. Serdikoff (James Madison University), Melissa Shulleeta (James Madison University), A. Charles Catania (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) |
| Abstract: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder that represents a costly major public health problem. The core symptoms of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity and behavioral research suggests that these symptoms may be the result of an altered reinforcement mechanism characterized by shorter and steeper delay-of reinforcement gradients. The current study investigates this possibility in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), an animal model of ADHD. SHR and Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) are trained to emit sequences of responses on two levers, A and B, such that a fixed number of presses on lever-A must be followed by a fixed number of presses on lever-B in order to produce a reinforcer. Across experimental conditions, the overall number of presses is parametrically varied so that both the time and the number of responses separating the lever-A responses from the reinforcer are systematically altered. To the extent that rate of lever-A pressing decreases more rapidly with increases in the required number of lever-B presses in SHR than in WKY rats, these data provide additional evidence for SHR as animal model of ADHD and for the for the altered reinforcement mechanism view of the disorder. |
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| 88. Token Reinforcement and Progressive-ratio Schedule Performance in Rats: The Effects of Food Schedule Manipulation on Breakpoint |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| SEAN W. CLARK (Southern Illinois University Carbondale), Katarzyna Grabowska (Southern Illinois University Carbondale), Eric A. Jacobs (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) |
| Abstract: Schedules of token reinforcement consist of three interlocked contingencies—the token production schedule, the exchange schedule, and the food schedule. In the present study, rats’ lever pressing was maintained by presentation of marbles that were later exchanged for sweetened condensed milk. Marbles were delivered according to a progressive ratio schedule that increased by 2 responses with each marble delivered by the schedule. Sessions terminated when 15 min transpired without completing a ratio. The last ratio completed was deemed the “breakpoint.” Exchange periods were arranged by a random ratio schedule, wherein the probability of transitioning to an exchange period following a marble delivery was 0.33. Marbles were exchanged for milk presentations according to a random ratio schedule. The requirements of the random ratio food schedule were varied across conditions. Preliminary results suggest that increasing the number of marbles required per milk presentation decreased progressive ratio breakpoints. Implications for accounts of the results in terms of conditioned reinforcement and behavioral economics will be discussed. |
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| 89. Eliciting and Discriminative Functions of Tokens in Token Reinfordement Schedules |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| CHRISTOPHER E. BULLOCK (University of Florida), Timothy D. Hackenberg (University of Florida) |
| Abstract: Four pigeons were exposed to a two-ply multiple schedule with components comprised of a second-order schedule of token reinforcement and a yoked VT schedule of token presentation. In the token reinforcement component, tokens were earned according to a fixed ratio 50 schedule (token production schedule) and exchanged for food according to a FR 4 schedule (exchange schedule). In the yoked VT component, token presentation was yoked to the temporal placement of token delivery in the token component. In both components, after four tokens were produced, a distinct exchange period was initiated during which tokens could be exchanged for food according to a FR 1 schedule. Relative to the token component, response rates in the yoked component were reduced but not eliminated. In a subsequent condition in which tokens were absent (with exchange periods yoked to those in the token component), responding was eliminated. Overall, the results suggest that tokens maintain responding in part due to their temporal relations to food, apart from the contingencies between responding and token presentation. The results are discussed in terms of both the discriminative and eliciting functions of the tokens. |
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| 90. The Use of a Stimulus Fading Procedure to Decrease Hearing Aid Removal |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| ERIC BOELTER (The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics), Joel Eric Ringdahl (The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics), Nathan Call (The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics), Jayme Mews (The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics), Tory J. Christensen (The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics) |
| Abstract: We implemented a stimulus fading procedure with one child who was referred for day-treatment to an inpatient unit due to his noncompliance with wearing his hearing aids. The participant was diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss and developmental delays. He engaged in noncompliant behaviors across a variety of situations (e.g., toileting, dressing) including wearing his hearing aids. At baseline, he wore both hearing aids (turned on) an average of 26.6% of the time. We implemented a stimulus fading procedure beginning with the hearing aid molding in one ear and faded in components (i.e., mold and hearing aid) until he was wearing both hearing aids turned on. Interobserver Agreement was calculated on 15% of all sessions with a mean agreement of 97% (range, 87 – 100). |
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| 91. Production Procedures: Precision Prescriptions |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| MATTHEW SITOMER (Arizona State University), Peter Killeen (Arizona State University) |
| Abstract: Pigeons and rats were trained under three temporal production procedures and the accuracy and precision of timing were evaluated. Two commonly used procedures, the Free Operant Psychophysical Choice (FOPC; Bizo & White, 1994) procedure and the peak procedure (Catania, 1970), were compared to a new procedure, a concurrent variable interval / fixed interval schedule (VIFI). VIFI has advantages over FOPC and the peak procedure in that it affords an additional dependent measure (both time of arrival and time of departure) and under specific conditions yields greater precision, as assessed with a just noticeable difference criterion. Precision and accuracy of produced intervals are presented for each procedure, including a parametric manipulation of reinforcement rate in VIFI. Recommendations for future temporal production experiments are made. |
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| 92. EAHB-SIG Student Paper Award Winner: Compound Class-specific Reinforcers and Equivalence Performances in Children Diagnosed with Developmental Disabilities |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| CHRISTINA A. ASHFORD (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: The present study examined equivalence performances of children with developmental disabilities with compound reinforcers. Compound reinforcers consisted of computerized auditory and visual elements and a food element. In Experiment 1, participants received training either with no elements, one element, or both elements class specific. Results indicated that class-specific reinforcers may have facilitated acquisition. In Experiment 2, performances of participants trained with class-specific compound reinforcers indicated the formation of equivalence classes including all trained stimuli as well as visual and food reinforcer elements. In Experiment 3, participants received identity-matching training during which correct responses for one set of stimuli yielded conditioned class-specific reinforcers, and correct responses for another set of stimuli yielded primary class-specific reinforcers. Participants then received testing for equivalence relations between these new stimuli and previously trained baseline stimuli. Participants also received testing for equivalence relations between the auditory element of the class-specific reinforcers and all baseline stimuli. Two participants’ performances indicated equivalence class formation including stimuli trained with either conditioned or primary class-specific reinforcers, and the performance of a third participant indicated class membership of stimuli trained with conditioned class-specific reinforcers only. All subjects demonstrated equivalence relations between the auditory reinforcer elements and baseline stimuli. |
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| 93. The Effect of a Verbal Instruction to Suppress Thoughts of a Stimulus that is a Member of an Equivalence Class |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| FREDERICK ANDERSON (Western Michigan University), Scott T. Gaynor (Western Michigan University), Sigurdur Oli Sigurdsson (Western Michigan University), Yukiko Washio (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| Abstract: This experiment involves establishing three 4-member equivalence classes consisting of nonsense words. The nonsense words will be presented as “drug names” and the training as a way of assessing how to develop the fast and accurate understanding of drug relationships that a physician must acquire. Match-to-sample training will teach conditional discriminations (A to B, A to C, and A to D) to a criterion of at least 98%. Tests for emergent relations will then be conducted to determine formation of the equivalence classes. After the establishment of the classes, reaction times to the presentation of the drug names will be assessed via a modified stroop task. Midway through the stroop task, one stimulus will be given a new function via the verbal instruction to suppress thoughts of that stimulus. That is, the computer will inform the participant that one drug should no longer be prescribed to patients because of new information regarding severe side effects. The computer screen will then flash for 60 seconds advising the participant to not think about that particular drug. The stroop task then resumes and the effects of the suppression instruction on reaction time to the to-be-suppressed-stimulus, the other members of its class, and the members of the other classes will be assessed to explore the effects of the suppression instruction. |
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| 94. Towards an Understanding of the Stimulus Control of Preschooler Mands |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| JEFFREY H. TIGER (University of Kansas), Gregory P. Hanley (University of Kansas), Jillian White (University of Kansas), Emma Hernandez (University of Kansas) |
| Abstract: Preschool aged children may recruit teacher attention at undesirably excessive rates. This excess can lead to a disruption of classroom activities, and if not reliably reinforced by teacher attention, can extinguish and possibly be replaced with problem behaviors. The first study replicates and extends previous research by arranging teacher attention into a multiple schedule in which periods of continuous attention availability rotated with periods of extinction and by conducting a component analysis of the effects of schedule-correlated stimuli and contingency-specifying stimuli (rules) on the development of preschooler’s discriminated manding. The results showed that discriminated manding developed when and only when rules were provided prior to exposure to the multiple schedule. The generality of the intervention was demonstrated via successful implementation of the procedures in the children’s classroom by the preschool teacher. The second study showed the development of discriminated performance under a mixed schedule following exposure to a multiple schedule, suggesting that control from salient schedule-correlated stimuli can be transferred to temporal features of a mixed schedule. Interobserver agreement was assessed in at least 20% of sessions and averaged above 85%.Keywords: stimulus control, multiple schedule, mixed schedule, rules, manding, preschoolers, teacher attention |
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| 95. Treating Escape Maintained Behavior of Cows Using Negative Reinforcement |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| MELISSA MOREHEAD (University of North Texas), Kimberly N. Smith (University of North Texas), Jesus Rosales-Ruiz (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: Negative reinforcement can be a powerful tool for behavior analysts, yet it is often overlooked. Pryor (1999) outlines a method for approaching a "timid" animal using a combination of negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement. When the animal stands still, the human delivers a click with a clicker, then retreats away from the animal. Gradually, the human moves closer to the animal through the clicking and retreating shaping process. Once the human is standing close enough, food may be offered as a positive reinforcer, and the negative reinforcer is faded out. This project demonstrates this technique empirically with cows as subjects by measuring trials to make contact with the cows using retreat as a negative reinforcer. Cows are used as the subjects because while they are domesticated animals, the subjects of this particular herd are not handled regularly by humans, and do not allow close human proximity. The procedure is a multiple baseline across subjects. Implications for the treatment of escape maintained maladaptive behaviors are discussed. Data are in progress. |
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