McLean, A. P., Campbell-Tie, P., & Nevin, J. A. (1996).
Resistance to change as a function of stimulus-reinforcer and location-reinforcer contingencies.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,
66, 169-191.
Pigeons responded on two keys in each component of a multiple
concurrent schedule. In one series of conditions the distribution
of reinforcers between keys within one component was varied so as
to produce changes in ratios of reinforcer totals for key
locations when summed across components. In a second series,
reinforcer allocation between components was varied so as to
produce changes in ratios of reinforcer totals for components,
summed across key locations. In each condition, resistance to
change was assessed by presenting response-independent
reinforcers during intercomponent blackouts and (for the first
series) by extinction of responding on both keys in both
components. Resistance to change for response totals within a
component was always greater for the component with the larger
total reinforcer rate. However, resistance to change for response
totals at a key location was not a positive function of total
reinforcement for pecking that key; indeed, relative resistance
to extinction for the two locations showed a weak negative
relation to ratios of reinforcer totals for key location. These
results confirm the determination of resistance to change by
stimulus—reinforcer contingencies.
Key words: multiple schedules, concurrent schedules,
stimulus—reinforcer contingencies, location-reinforcer
contingencies, serial compound stimuli, resistance to change, pigeons