Alsop, B., & Rowley, R. (1996).
Types of responding in a signal-detection task.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,
65, 561-574.
Four pigeons were trained to discriminate between two line
orientations in a two-alternative forced-choice procedure. The
distribution of reinforcers for the two types of correct response
was varied across conditions. Performance on each trial was
recorded separately, including the time taken to make a choice
response. Discrimin ability and response-bias measures were
calculated for overall performance, and, following a median split
of the data from each condition, for faster and slower choice
responses in each condition. Discriminability between the stimuli
did not vary systematically as a function of choice latency.
Variations of the reinforcer distributions produced larger
response biases for the faster responses than for the slower
responses. Responses on trials following reinforcers were faster
and showed a greater effect of the reinforcer distribution than
did other responses. Behavioral models of signal detection should
consider the speed of the choice response as a factor modulating
the effects of reinforcer distributions.
Key words: signal detection, stimulus discriminability,
responsebias, choice latency, pigeon