Preference and switching under concurrent scheduling.

Findley, J. D. (1958). Preference and switching under concurrent scheduling. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1, 123-144.

A series of experiments is reported in which pigeons were trained to peck an illuminated key for grain. The color of this key was either red or green, and associated with each color was a given reinforcement schedule. Pecking on a second key permitted the birds to switch the color appearing on the first key. The general behavior resulting from this type of procedure suggested an operant chain in which pecking on the second key was maintained by its consequences for reinforcement on the first key. Preferences for a given color and rate of switching colors were found to be a function of the particular schedules and switching contingencies imposed.