Does “Mutual Reinforcement” Function as Reinforcement?

Abstract

      A contingency under which a response by an individual yields a reinforcer delivered to another individual, and vice versa, sometimes has been called mutual reinforcement. 　The present experiments examined whether such so-called  mutual reinforcement increases and maintains response rates.  Following hopper training, two pairs of pigeons were exposed to a schedule of mutual reinforcement: a peck of the key by one pigeon permitted another pigeon to access food, and vice versa (Experiment 1).  The results provided no evidence that the mutual reinforcement increased the response rates.  In Experiment 2, a fixed-ratio 1 schedule was followed by a schedule of mutual reinforcement for two pairs of pigeons.  Although response rates decreased to near zero across the 70 sessions with the mutual reinforcement in effect, the rates were higher than those under a variable-time schedule, suggesting that mutual reinforcement did not maintain a stable rate of responding,but it did postpone extinction of the response.