MacDonall, J. S. (1998).
Run length, visit duration, and reinforcers per visit in concurrent performance.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,
69, 275-293.
The contingencies in each alternative of concurrent procedures
consist of reinforcement for staying and reinforcement for
switching. For the stay contingency, behavior directed at one
alternative earns and obtains reinforcers. For the switch
contingency, behavior directed at one alternative earns
reinforcers but behavior directed at the other alternative
obtains them. In Experiment 1, responses on the main lever, in
S1, incremented stay and switch schedules and obtained a stay
reinforcer when it became available. Responses on the switch
lever changed S1 to S2 and obtained switch reinforcers when
available. In S2, neither responses on the main lever nor on the
switch lever were reinforced, but a switch response changed S2 to
S1. Run lengths and visit durations were a function of the ratio
of the scheduled probabilities of reinforcement
(staying/switching). From run lengths and visit durations,
traditional concurrent performance was synthesized, and that
synthesized performance was consistent with the generalized
matching law. Experiment 2 replicated and extended this analysis
to concurrent variable-interval schedules. The synthesized
results challenge any theory of matching that requires a
comparison among the alternatives.
Key words: generalized matching law, scheduled reinforcer
probability, scheduled reinforcer rate, run length, visit
duration, lever press, rats