Differences in reinforcers earned and unit price predictions: A comparative study of concurrent progressive schedules

Research in behavioral economics and the experimental analysis of behavior have involved concurrent progressive ratios (PRs) to examine relative reinforcing efficacy and response allocation between competing alternatives. Despite their ubiquity in the literature, PRs are limited by a lack of generality outside the lab. Duration-based schedules of reinforcement, particularly progressive durations (PDs), may address such limitations. Previous research has identified several similarities between PRs and PDs, but there are no examples of concurrent PDs in the basic literature, limiting their integration within behavioral economics. The present study sought to develop a novel concurrent PD schedule and compare outcomes to a concurrent PR arrangement across several dimensions. The results showed similarities in post-reinforcement pause and differences in breakpoint variability and reinforcers earned. A unit price analysis of switchover patterns revealed differences in predictive fit between concurrent PRs and concurrent PDs.