{"title":"A model of changeover behavior in two-alternative choice","authors":"Matias A. Avellaneda","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70025","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The amount of time that organisms spend on a variable-interval schedule of a concurrent pair before departing to the other one (i.e., the dwell time on the schedule) follows an exponential distribution, meaning that the probability of switching to the other schedule does not increase or decrease throughout the visit. This appears to reflect an innate behavioral pattern and implies that concurrent-schedule performance can be modeled using continuous-time Markov chains. In the two-alternative case, the behavior of a Markov chain is completely determined by the leaving rates from each alternative (i.e., the number of departures per unit of time), so finding expressions for these leaving rates should suffice to completely characterize changeover behavior in concurrent schedules. Such expressions can be derived from the matching law in combination with either the mathematical principles of reinforcement or Baum's laws of allocation, induction, and covariance. The resulting equations are assessed in the particular case of concurrent variable-interval schedules using a large data set from a published study that systematically manipulated both the relative and the overall rates of reinforcement, resulting in excellent fits. The performance of the model is also assessed against that of competing models, proving to be superior in most cases.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Catherine L. Williams, Claire C. St. Peter, Michael Perone, Marisela Aguilar, Benjamin A. Cederberg, Daniella J. Gregersen, Elijah J. Richardson
{"title":"Using must-have and can-have features to improve conceptual learning","authors":"Catherine L. Williams, Claire C. St. Peter, Michael Perone, Marisela Aguilar, Benjamin A. Cederberg, Daniella J. Gregersen, Elijah J. Richardson","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70037","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Concepts can be taught by presenting examples and nonexamples and giving the learner feedback on whether they accurately identify the examples, but it is not clear how to select examples and nonexamples. Specifically, the degree to which examples and nonexamples should differ is unknown. Six experiments were conducted to compare conceptual learning for four stimulus sets (three sets of arbitrary stimuli and one set of biological stimuli) across up to three practice conditions: (a) nonexamples that were relatively similar to the examples, (b) nonexamples that were relatively dissimilar to the examples, and (c) examples only. Conceptual learning was measured before and after practice using tests with examples and nonexamples that were not used during practice. Including nonexamples in practice increased the likelihood of conceptual learning relative to including only examples. Using nonexamples that were more similar to the examples resulted in the most robust conceptual learning. Adding new but conceptually irrelevant features to the testing stimuli disrupted conceptual learning but less so when the practice included nonexamples that were more similar to the examples. The efficacy and efficiency of instruction for conceptual learning were affected by features of the stimuli used to practice and test conceptual learning.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jeab.70037","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
John T. Rapp, Rasha R. Baruni, Emma Walker, Jennifer L. Cook, Jonathan W. Pinkston, Raymond G. Miltenberger, Shreeya Deshmukh, Sharayah Tai, Daniel J. Sheridan
{"title":"Using high-preference and low-preference music in a synchronous reinforcement treadmill preparation: A further extension","authors":"John T. Rapp, Rasha R. Baruni, Emma Walker, Jennifer L. Cook, Jonathan W. Pinkston, Raymond G. Miltenberger, Shreeya Deshmukh, Sharayah Tai, Daniel J. Sheridan","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70026","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We conducted a series of studies on the effects of synchronous reinforcement. Study 1 presented 30 participants with their high-preference (HP) music, identified via a conjugate assessment, for walking on a treadmill during three synchronous reinforcement (SYNC) components. The results indicated that HP music produced schedule control of walking speed for 20 participants (66.7%). In addition, 80% of the participants who displayed schedule control also displayed variable walking speeds when music was withheld. Study 2 extended Study 1 by providing 30 new participants with their low-preference (LP) music, again using the same conjugate assessment, for walking on a treadmill during the same three SYNC components. The results indicated that LP music produced schedule control of walking to (a) avoid music for 13 participants (43.33%) and (b) access music for two participants (6.67%). Study 3 compared group results across components for HP and LP participants from Studies 1 and 2, respectively. The results indicated that that the HP group walked significantly faster than the LP group during three components; however, heart rates did not differ statistically between the two groups for any component. The results across the studies indicate that both positive and negative synchronous reinforcement with music increased the walking speeds and heart rates of participants.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144520269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carlos Eduardo Costa, Karina Pinheiro da Silva, André Connor de Méo Luiz, André Marques Choinski, Kennon A. Lattal
{"title":"Contrasting effects of reinforcer rate and magnitude on differential resistance to change in humans","authors":"Carlos Eduardo Costa, Karina Pinheiro da Silva, André Connor de Méo Luiz, André Marques Choinski, Kennon A. Lattal","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70027","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The effects of the magnitude of reinforcement on the resistance to change of humans engaged in a computer task were examined in two experiments. In each, responding was disrupted by increasing the force requirement of the required response. In Experiment 1, the participants were exposed to a multiple variable-interval (VI) VI schedule of reinforcement. Responses meeting the VI requirement resulted in the addition of a monetary value to the computer screen. At the end of each session, the monetary value was exchanged for real money. In Experiment 2, snacks or money provided at the time earned were the reinforcers. There was no differential resistance to change as a function of reinforcer magnitude in either experiment. These findings led to Experiment 3, in which the participants from Experiment 2 were exposed to schedules arranging different reinforcement rates using as reinforcers snacks, money at the time it was earned, and points exchangeable for money at the session's end. There was greater resistance to change in the VI component with a higher reinforcement rate. The results are discussed in relation to the varied effects of reinforcer magnitude on both response rates and resistance to change.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jeab.70027","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christopher R. Colasurdo, Kenneth F. Reeve, Adrienne M. Jennings, Jason C. Vladescu, Sharon A. Reeve, Leif K. Albright
{"title":"Comparing traditional match-to-sample training with observational learning to establish equivalence classes with adults","authors":"Christopher R. Colasurdo, Kenneth F. Reeve, Adrienne M. Jennings, Jason C. Vladescu, Sharon A. Reeve, Leif K. Albright","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70032","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The purpose of the current study was to compare the efficacy and efficiency of video-based observational learning (OL) with traditional match-to-sample (MTS) training to establish three 3-member equivalence classes of abstract visual stimuli with adult participants. Video models used during OL depicted a first-person perspective of a computer screen with modeled on-screen movements of a mouse cursor making comparison selections. Adult participants in the OL-mixed group received training in which the video models depicted progressive increases in correct responding of modeled baseline relations across five blocks of trials. Participants in the OL-expert group received identical training except that the models always depicted 100% correct responding across the five modeled trial blocks. Participants in the MTS group actively responded while completing five blocks of traditional MTS training. Posttest results showed that OL-mixed training resulted in the highest mean percentage of class-consistent responding and yield of equivalence classes relative to traditional MTS and the OL-expert group despite minimal differences in total duration during training. Across the groups, nearly all who successfully demonstrated equivalence class formation during the computerized posttest also showed generalization of class-consistent responding during the card sorting posttest. The results showed that OL-mixed training was most effective and that the procedures were similarly efficient.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicolau K. Pergher, Edson M. Huziwara, Gerson Y. Tomanari
{"title":"Eye movements along the establishment of functional stimuli classes","authors":"Nicolau K. Pergher, Edson M. Huziwara, Gerson Y. Tomanari","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70016","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The present study analyzed the eye movement patterns of five typically developed adults who were exposed to a series of simple discrimination training tasks with reversals in the contingencies of reinforcement that led to the formation of functional stimulus classes. Two studies were planned. In Study 1, two visual stimuli were used to carry out one training phase and three consecutive reversals. In Study 2, the phases were repeated but four-stimuli functional classes were established. In the second study, the selective observing responses to stimuli of functional classes following the reversal of the first stimulus were analyzed. The results showed shifts in the duration of observing responses as the discriminative functions of the stimuli were established and reversed. Unlike the existing literature, our study reveals that some participants maintain longer observing responses to S– than to S+. Moreover, following the reversal of the first stimulus, observing responses to all other stimuli of the same functional class change immediately and accordingly. These findings deepen our understanding of discriminative stimulus control and shed light on the role of observing responses to stimuli composing functional classes.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jeab.70016","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144520193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Promise Tewogbola, Eric A. Jacobs, Yueh-Ting Lee, Ryan N. Redner, Justin T. McDaniel, Jebaraj Asirvatham
{"title":"Beyond the jab: Modeling HIV vaccine acceptance in sexual and gender minorities with behavioral economic demand","authors":"Promise Tewogbola, Eric A. Jacobs, Yueh-Ting Lee, Ryan N. Redner, Justin T. McDaniel, Jebaraj Asirvatham","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70038","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study was an investigation of the utility of behavioral economic demand curves (quantitative models showing how consumption changes with price) in assessing acceptance of hypothetical HIV vaccines among sexual and gender minorities (SGMs). Two experiments used simulated purchase tasks (hypothetical scenarios measuring purchasing decisions). SGMs were recruited through Reddit and LGBTQ+ community organizations across the United States. In Experiment 1, participants were randomly assigned to nine instructional sets combining varying vaccine administration modes (oral, mucosal, or subcutaneous) with different dosage schedules (one dose, two doses, or one dose annually). Experiment 2 examined how bundling HIV vaccines with one of nine health commodities affected demand. Participants also responded to questions assessing demographics, HIV risk behaviors, experiences of racial discrimination, and trust in institutions. The results demonstrated that the exponentiated demand equation effectively modeled vaccine acceptance across conditions (median <i>R</i><sup><i>2</i></sup> = 0.92). Contrary to expectations, vaccine characteristics had a minimal influence on demand (Q₀: <i>R</i><sup><i>2</i></sup> = 0.007; log α: <i>R</i><sup><i>2</i></sup> = 0.001). Instead, individual factors significantly influenced demand intensity (consumption when price = 0; Q₀) and price sensitivity (sensitivity of consumption to increasing price; α). Significant predictors of Q₀ included injection drug use history, experiences of racial discrimination, and trust in science. Low household income was the strongest predictor of log α. Bundling HIV vaccines with other health commodities showed subtle effects on acceptance, with condoms and dental examinations significantly differing from the reference category. These findings suggest that behavioral economic approaches can inform policy decisions about pricing, bundling strategies and targeted interventions to maximize HIV vaccine uptake among SGMs who face disproportionate HIV risk without requiring exposure to non-market-ready vaccines.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144520194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Corina Jimenez-Gomez, Carolyn M. Ritchey, Adam T. Brewer, Sarah Cowie, Christopher A. Podlesnik
{"title":"Discriminative control of choice by reinforcers in children and adults","authors":"Corina Jimenez-Gomez, Carolyn M. Ritchey, Adam T. Brewer, Sarah Cowie, Christopher A. Podlesnik","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70024","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Research with nonhumans and human children has questioned the notion of the strengthening properties of reinforcers when choices are controlled by what reinforcers signal about upcoming events. We extended this work by developing and evaluating an automated task to evaluate the discriminative versus strengthening effects of reinforcers with two children of typical development (Experiment 1) and 18 university students (Experiments 2 and 3). Participants responded by touching one of two concurrently available images on a touchscreen. Across conditions, the probability that the next reinforcer would be delivered at the same location as the immediately preceding reinforced response varied with probabilities of .10 (switch), .50 (control), and .90 (stay). Both children and students responded according to the arranged reinforcer probabilities of the next reinforcer instead of where the most recent reinforcer had been delivered. The present findings add to the body of work suggesting that reinforcers serve a discriminative function, and we use a quantitative model of reinforcer misallocation to account for choices being imperfectly controlled by contingencies.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marc J. Lanovaz, Varsovia Hernandez, Alejandro León
{"title":"Machine learning to detect schedules using spatiotemporal data of behavior: A proof of concept","authors":"Marc J. Lanovaz, Varsovia Hernandez, Alejandro León","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70029","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Traditionally, the experimental analysis of behavior has relied on the single discrete response paradigm (e.g., key pecks, lever presses, screen clicks) to identify behavioral patterns. However, the development and availability of new technology allow researchers to move beyond this paradigm and use other features to detect schedules. Thus, our study used spatiotemporal data to compare the accuracy of four machine learning algorithms (i.e., logistic regression, support vector classifiers, random forests, and artificial neural networks) in detecting the presence and the components of time-based schedules in 12 rats involved in a behavioral experiment. Using spatiotemporal data, the algorithms accurately identified the presence or absence of programmed schedules and correctly differentiated between fixed- and variable-space schedules. That said, our analyses failed to identify an algorithm to discriminate fixed-time from variable-time schedules. Furthermore, none of the algorithms performed systematically better than the others. Our findings provide preliminary support for the utility of using spatiotemporal data with machine learning to detect stimulus schedules.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jeab.70029","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Julian C. Velasquez, Carlos J. Flores, Everardo E. Durán
{"title":"Reinstatement of negatively reinforced behavior with rats","authors":"Julian C. Velasquez, Carlos J. Flores, Everardo E. Durán","doi":"10.1002/jeab.70034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70034","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Reinstatement refers to the recurrence of extinguished behavior following response-dependent or -independent exposure to stimuli such as reinforcers, stressors, or reinforcer-correlated cues. Despite broad research on this form of behavioral relapse, little is known about reinstatement of behavior previously maintained by negative reinforcement. The present study explored reinstatement of negatively reinforced behavior with rats under a timeout-from-avoidance procedure. First, responses to the timeout lever could produce 2-min timeouts from a free-operant avoidance schedule wherein shocks could be postponed by pressing an avoidance lever. Then, timeout responding was extinguished by withholding timeouts while the avoidance response continued to postpone shocks. Finally, response-independent timeouts were delivered as the avoidance schedule remained unchanged. The results showed that extinguished timeout responding was reinstated in most subjects following the delivery of response-independent timeouts. These findings expand the generality of the reinstatement effect reported with positive reinforcement to another functional class of behavior and provide an animal model to extend research on behavioral relapse.</p>","PeriodicalId":17411,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144520192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}