Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2021

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Degree Type

BA

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Kennon A. Lattal

Committee Co-Chair

Karen Anderson

Committee Member

Jeremy S. Langford

Abstract

Jackpot reinforcers are an intriguing yet seldom studied area of operant conditioning with many potential applications in the scope of behavioral research. In this study, two Siamese fighting fish (Betta s.) were presented with the visual stimulus of a mirror upon completion of a target response, providing the opportunity to display an agonistic behavior towards their own mirror image. This opportunity for agonistic display to the mirror served as the primary reinforcer of the target response, which was simply swimming in a particular direction over a bar suspended in the center of the tank. This over-the-bar swimming was shaped prior to the start of the experiment. Once the fish swam over the bar towards the front of the tank, it was presented with a mirror for 3 s. During the experimental phases, one of the presentations of the mirror had a significantly longer duration than the regular reinforcers, constituting the jackpot reinforcer. In addition to two baseline phases in which no jackpot reinforcers were introduced, two experimental phases introduced one random jackpot reinforcer during each session. In the first experimental phase, the jackpot lasted for 15 s and, in the second, for 30 s. Immediately following the introduction of the jackpot reinforcer, there was an increase in post-reinforcement pause durations lasting a short time. Overall, however, there was a slight decrease in post-reinforcement pause times and slight increase in number of responses following the first jackpot phase. Unique variables of this study are addressed in the Discussion.

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