Effects of signal duration on Response acquisition with delayed reinforcement under temporally defined schedules of reinforcement

Abstract

This study assessed the effects of signal duration and td duration on response acquisition of lever-pressing by rats. Thirty naïve male Wistar rats were exposed to one of ten different 32-s temporally defined schedules of delayed, signaled reinforcement. Reinforcement cycles were divided into two temporal time windows, td and t delta; responses emitted during td produced reinforcement at the end of the cycle; responses emitted during t delta had no programmed consequences. td was located at the beginning of the reinforcement cycle and was fixed at one of two different values (4-s or 8-s). The first response emitted during td produced an audible tone of different duration; tone duration was varied across groups Results showed variability, however evidence of response acquisition was more apparent with the long td duration and with the longer signals. This effect could probably be attributed to the interaction of Pavlovian, and mnemic variables with stimulus discrimination processes.