Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Psychology
Committee Chair
Elizabeth G E Kyonka
Committee Co-Chair
Karen G Anderson
Committee Member
Julie Patrick
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. 4995.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/4995