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The article examines the profoundly multiply handicapped children that were placed in a situation where auditory stimulation was made contingent on a visually directed lever-pulling response. Two techniques were used in the selection of auditory reinforcers and an evaluation of their relative potency. The results indicate the feasibility of systematic measurement of operant-conditioning effects with very severely handicapped subjects in a laboratory situation.

Pigeons responded in a situation in which a response on key B could be followed by reinforcement if a response on key A preceded it by 10 sec. A-to-B responses with intervals of greater than 10 sec. duration were reinforced on a random ratio schedule. The effects of a conditioned stimulus terminating in response-independent reinforcement wore assessed against this baseline. Two levels of response-independent reinforcement (6 or 10 sec. hopper access) and two conditioned stimulus durations (15 mm. and 3 mm.) were used. Except for the combination of the 3 mm. conditioned stimulus with the 6 sec. response-independent reinforcement, all other combinations produced a suppression of A-to-B responding during the conditioned stimulus. Concomitantly, the number of correct (i.e. > 10 sec.) responses, and in some cases the percentage of total responses that were correct, were reduced. All of these effects were seen most clearly using the conditioned stimulus of shorter duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two groups of six pigeons were trained to key-peck on either a VI or a DRL schedule of positive reinforcement. After response rates were stable subjects wore presented with one of the following combinations of a signal and free reward over several sessions. For one subgroup of three birds in each group, an auditory stimulus was paired with free reward whilst birds wore prevented from malting the operant response. Birds in the remaining subgroups received random presentations of the stimulus and free reward. When the conditioned stimulus alone was presented at random intervals during normal key-peck sessions for three days, no consistent effects on response rate were observed. Further respondent conditioning sessions followed, after which the effects of the conditioned stimulus were tested against ongoing behaviour, or during extinction of the operant response. Birds retested on the baseline again showed little effect. Of birds tested during extinction, those receiving pairings of the conditioned stimulus and reward showed facilitation of responding during the stimulus, whilst those who had received random presentations showed a slight suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty-two human subjects received contingent or random presentations of a conditioning stimulus (CS) and an unconditioned stimulus (US) whilst working on one of two time-related baseline schedules of positive reinforcement. The US consisted of a free reward of high or low magnitude. The two levels of each of these three variables were incorporated in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design. A response facilitation in the contingent CS-US groups was found. Results are discussed with reference to the difficulties of using simple operant techniques with human subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of elation is defined as a non-instrumental change in the vigour of responding brought about by an upward shift in conditions of reward. It is seen that this reward change could be contingent or non-contingent on behaviour; it could be signalled or unsignalled; and the changed reward could be the same or different in quantity and/or quality from that which went before. Studies under the eight categories suggested by this analysis are reviewed with special reference to the emotional, rather than instrumental, components of behaviour following reward shift. The review strongly indicates that although the various experimental approaches which are considered have reward increase as a common theme, the effects from study to study are disparate. This suggests that future research would profit from parametric analyses of the individual procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]