Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Psychology
Abstract
The temporal arrangement of events is important in laboratory and real-world settings. Many real-world scenarios are highly dynamic and not reflected by the steady-state nature of experiments often conducted in laboratory settings. To address the dynamic nature of the environment, four pigeons responded on a rapid-acquisition multiple peak-interval schedule. Peak-interval trials, extinction trials that are extended and deliver no reinforcement, were interspersed with fixed-interval trials in a two-component multiple schedule. The interval for each component changed mid-session every session. There were two conditions: an Unsignaled condition where the intervals were changed mid-session without any accompanying stimulus change and a Signaled condition where the mid-session change was preceded by a 5-min blackout. Temporal control, measured by start and stop times from peak-interval trials, developed within each session. The 5-min blackout facilitated acquisition of temporal control by decreasing the influence of the previous interval. Temporal control was reacquired each session half. Discriminative signals facilitated adaptation in a dynamic environment.
Recommended Citation
Rice, Nathaniel, "Adaptation of Temporal Control to Unpredictable Mid-Session Changes in a Rapid-Acquisition Multiple Peak-Interval Procedure" (2013). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD). 4995.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/4995