Superstitious responding and reinforcement rate under concurrent variable-interval extinction schedules

Abstract

To examine superstitious responding, four pigeons key pecked under multiple concurrent variable-interval 45 s variable-interval 90 s concurrent variable-interval 90 s variable-interval 180 s schedules in the absence of a changeover delay. The two variable-interval 90 s schedules then were replaced by extinction, and key-peck responding during extinction was examined as a function of the prevailing reinforcement rate. During the first several sessions, extinction-key responding was maintained closer to baseline levels in the presence of the higher reinforcement rate, and this effect dissipated or even reversed with continued exposure to extinction. Although extinction-key responding generally decreased to near-zero levels after several sessions, in a few instances, it continued for 30 and 45 sessions. These results demonstrate how concurrent variable-interval extinction schedules can be used to investigate what often has been labeled superstitious responding.