The effect of reinforcement magnitude upon responding under fixed-ratio schedules

Abstract

Responding under fixed-ratio schedules was studied as a function of two durations of food presentation. Latency of the first response after food presentation (post-reinforcement pause) was consistently shorter when food was presented for the longer duration. Only one of the four pigeons studied showed a consistently higher response rate, exclusive of post-reinforcement pause, as a function of the longer access to food. When ratio size was reduced, pause durations decreased, and the differences related to the two durations of food presentations became progressively smaller.