Account of operant conditioning based on coordinating three procedural steps of respondent conditioning processes.

Michael Lamport Commons; Sagun Giri

doi:10.1037/bdb0000017

Comparisons of Animal “Smart” Using The First Four Stages of the Model of Hierarchical Complexity

International Journal of Comparative Psychology ◽

10.46867/ijcp.2020.33.02.01 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 ◽

Author(s):

Mansi J. Shah ◽

Michael L. Commons ◽

William J. Harrigan

Keyword(s):

Operant Conditioning ◽

Motor Task ◽

Comparative Psychology ◽

Behavioral Model ◽

Ordinal Scale ◽

Future Research ◽

Respondent Conditioning ◽

Hierarchical Complexity ◽

And Performance ◽

Using Data

The Model of Hierarchical Complexity is a behavioral model of development and evolution of the complexity of behavior. It is based on task analysis. Tasks are ordered in terms of their hierarchical complexity, which is an ordinal scale that measures difficulty. The hierarchical difficulty of tasks is categorized as the order of hierarchical complexity. Successful performance on a task is called the behavioral stage. This model can be applied to non-human animals, and humans. Using data from some of the simplest animals and also somewhat more complex ones, this analysis describes the four lowest behavioral stages and illustrate them using the behaviors of a range of simple organisms. For example, Stage 1 tasks, and performance on them, are addressed with automatic unconditioned responses. Behavior at this Stage includes sensing, tropisms, habituation and, other automatic behaviors. Single cell organisms operate at this Stage. Stage 2 tasks include these earlier behaviors, but also include respondent conditioning but not operant conditioning. Animals such as some simple invertebrates have shown respondent conditioning, but not operant conditioning. Stage 3 tasks coordinate three instances of these earlier tasks to make possible operant conditioning. These stage 3 performances are similar to those of some invertebrates and also insects. Stage 4 tasks organisms coordinate 2 or more circular sensory-motor task actions into a superordinate “concept”. This explanation of the early stages of the Model of Hierarchical Complexity may help future research in animal behavior, and comparative psychology.

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Effects of fixed- and variable-time schedules of mirror presentations on the swimming behaviour of Betta splendens

10.31237/osf.io/mdq39 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Toby Laine Martin

Keyword(s):

Operant Conditioning ◽

Systems Approach ◽

Fixed Time ◽

Betta Splendens ◽

Swimming Behaviour ◽

Respondent Conditioning ◽

Variable Time ◽

Swimming Pattern ◽

Steady Rate ◽

Mirror Side

The effects of response-independent mirror presentation schedules on the swimming behaviour of Betta splendens were studied in two experiments. In experiment 1, four fish received alternating baseline (no mirror) and fixed-time (FT) 2-min or variable-time (VT) 2-min mirror presentation conditions. Two fish consistently showed increased rates of mirror-side lap-swimming (MSLS; a back-and-forth swimming pattern) and decreased distance from the mirror during the inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs) of FT and VT sessions, and during baseline sessions that followed FT and VT phases. Data from one fish indicated that a VT schedule might increase both proximity to the mirror and MSLS rates that have decreased on FT. Therefore, in experiment 2 three fish from experiment 1 received alternating FT and VT conditions. Proximity to the mirror and MSLS rates increased during VT phases relative to FT phases in two fish, though effects were small and did not occur across all alternations. Additional findings were that MSLS during ISIs tended to increase within FT phases, that MSLS generally occurred either at a steady rate within ISIs or showed a scalloped effect, that mirror presentations produced approach to the mirror side that persisted during ISIs and subsequent baseline phases, and that mirror-side distance during the mirror presentations was less than during the ISIs. Although the findings were not consistent across all fish, they were replicated a number of times within at least two of the fish. The findings are discussed in terms of adventitious operant conditioning, respondent conditioning, and the behaviour systems approach. The results of this study increase the generality of response-independent schedule effects on locomotive behaviour.

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Response and Reinforcement in Operant Audiometry

Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders ◽

10.1044/jshd.5203.294 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 294-299 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Michael A. Primus

Keyword(s):

Operant Conditioning ◽

Space Versus ◽

Visual Space ◽

Central Processing ◽

Operant Discrimination ◽

Conditioning Rate ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Simple Detection ◽

Variable Success ◽

Response Task

Variable success in audiometric assessment of young children with operant conditioning indicates the need for systematic examination of commonly employed techniques. The current study investigated response and reinforcement features of two operant discrimination paradigms with normal I7-month-old children. Findings indicated more responses prior to the onset of habituation when the response task was based on complex central processing skills (localization and coordination of auditory/visual space) versus simple detection. Use of animation in toy reinforcers resulted in more than a twofold increase in the number of subject responses. Results showed no significant difference in response conditioning rate or consistency for the response tasks and forms of reinforcement examined.

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