Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2021
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Degree Type
BA
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Psychology
Committee Chair
Michael Perone
Committee Member
Karen Anderson
Committee Member
Cory Toegel
Abstract
Pigeons pecking a key on a fixed-ratio schedule pause after receiving a reinforcer. This interruption in operant responding is defined solely by the absence of the responding. The purpose of the present study was to find out what a pigeon does during the pause in key pecking, and whether non-pecking behavior is different across transitions between the rich and lean components of a multiple schedule. Using videos of four pigeons, the duration of several non-pecking behaviors was recorded during the pauses that occurred after the end of a reinforcer and the start of responding in the next component. The pigeons spent the most time looking away from the key, distancing from the key, and looking at the key. All pigeons only preened during lean-lean and rich-lean transitions. Select pigeons only side stepped and paced during the rich-lean and lean-lean transitions.
Recommended Citation
Huffman, Erin Michelle, "Pigeons Reacting to Transitions from Rich to Lean Schedules of Reinforcement: Analyses Based on Video Recordings" (2021). Capstones and Honors Theses. 17.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/cap_theses/17