PubMed · 5194090
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K Numano. 1969. [Educational technology. 5. Operant conditioning].. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5194090/
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Interval timing in operant conditioning is the learned covariation of a temporal dependent measure such as wait time with a temporal independent variable such as fixed-interval duration. The dominant theories of interval timing all incorporate an explicit internal clock, or "pacemaker," despite its lack of independent evidence. The authors propose an alternative, pacemaker-free view that demonstrates that temporal discrimination can be explained by using only 2 assumptions: (a) variation and selection of responses through competition between reinforced behavior and all other, elicited, behaviors and (b) modulation of the strength of response competition by the memory for recent reinforcement. The model departs radically from existing timing models: It shows that temporal learning can emerge from a simple dynamic process that lacks a periodic time reference such as a pacemaker.
The study by S. M. Alessi, J. M. Roll, M. P. Reilly, and C.-E. Johanson (2002) showed that in human volunteers a choice of placebo over diazepam could be reversed by pairing the drug with a higher monetary reward and the placebo with a lower monetary reward for performance on a computer-based task. The results provide a clear laboratory model of how initially neutral or aversive effects of a drug can be altered by association with positive reinforcement to establish the drug as a conditioned reinforcer and to generate drug-seeking behavior. Parallels from the animal and human literatures are discussed, as are potential future studies and applications of this approach for preventing and reducing drug abuse in humans.
A computer program for programming schedules of reinforcement is described. Students can use the program to experience schedules of reinforcement that are typically used with nonhuman subjects. A cumulative recording of a student's responding can be shown on the screen and/or printed with the computer's printer. The program can also be used to program operant schedules for animal subjects. The program was tested with human subjects experiencing fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval schedules. Performance for human subjects on a given schedule was similar to performance for nonhuman subjects on the same schedule.