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Defined In Psychology: How Schedules Changed Behavior

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a. Defined in Psychology in context (2004) the law of effect is “actions that subsequently lead to a satisfying state of affairs are more likely to be repeated” (pg 187). This means that any behaviour that is rewarded, for example getting food after doing a puzzle, will reinforce and make the behaviour more likely to happen again, for example doing the puzzle. b. “An object or event that comes after a response and that strengthens the likelihood of its recurrence” (Psychology in context, 2004, pg. 188). This object or event can be anything that is a reward from food when you do something good to being rewarding for bad behaviour in a class room by being told to get out of the room. c. Schedules of reinforcement are rules that are followed …show more content…

In the study done by McSweeney, Roll & Weatherly, experimentally experienced pigeons were the participants. The study was looking at how different rates of schedules changed behaviour. The participants during the first condition were exposed to a response key that was a red light and the first schedule was a FI 30s. Then the FI was changed to 120s, 240s, 15s, and 60s. Then in the second condition the participants were exposed to a response key that was a blue light. The schedule was a VR 30 then 120, 15, 60 and 5. The third condition there was a white light response key and the schedule was a DRL 10s then 20s, 2s, 5s, 15s. Overall the study found that between the different schedules behaviour was the same between the different rates or times. This is relevant to this experiment because it shows that between each trial the behaviour should stay the same give more reliable …show more content…

The pigeons were on a schedule of FI 61s. After the first response then reinforcement of food would be delayed either by 0.5s, 1s r 10s half the pigeons had a delay which if there was pecking on the response key, there would be no consequences while the other had had a delay where if there was pecking the time would be restarted. Overall the study found that if there was a delay of reinforcements the responses caused by the schedules were resistant to the delays. The study is relevant to this experiment as it shows that if there was any delay of reinforcements (the food) the behaviours that had occurred before will continue to occur which makes the experiment more reliable as the behaviours would be consistent over the course of the

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