PRECURRENT CONTINGENCIES: BEHAVIOR REINFORCED BY ALTERING REINFORCEMENT PROBABILITY FOR OTHER BEHAVIOR

• Published in: Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior Vol. 61; no. 3; pp. 427 - 439
• Main Authors: Polson, David A. D., Parsons, Joseph A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.05.1994; Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
• Subjects: Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; changeover; Conditioning; current behavior; free operant; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; humans; key press; Learning. Memory; precurrent behavior; precurrent contingency; probability schedule; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Learning; Human; Acquisition process; Reinforcement probability; Instrumental conditioning; Experimental study; Monetary reinforcement; Behavioral sequence
• ISSN: 0022-5002; 1938-3711
• DOI: 10.1901/jeab.1994.61-427

The present study explored the effects of a precurrent contingency in which one (precurrent) activity increased the reinforcement probability for another (current) activity. Four human subjects responded on a two‐key computer mouse. Each right‐key press was reinforced (points exchangeable for money) with .02 probability. In one condition (no precurrent contingency), pressing the left key had no scheduled consequence; in another condition (precurrent contingency), pressing the left key increased the reinforcement probability for right‐key responding to .08 for 15 s. Initial exposure to the precurrent contingency resulted in acquisition of precurrent left‐key responding for 3 subjects, but for the 4th subject a special contingency was required. Right‐key responding occurred at a high stable rate across the conditions. Changeovers to left‐key responding dropped to near zero when the precurrent contingency was absent and were maintained at enhanced levels when the precurrent contingency was present. Contacts with the left key consisted of short response runs. Right‐key responses were more frequently emitted within 15 s of a left‐key response when the precurrent contingency was present, an efficient adaptation to the contingency. Continued research on precurrent behavior may produce insights into complex phenomena such as autoclitics and self‐control.