EFFECTS OF DELAY OF REINFORCEMENT ON VARIABLE-INTERVAL PERFORMANCE: A TEST OF THE "MATHEMATICAL PRINCIPLES OF REINFORCEMENT"

• Grant number: 25/04909-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Lucas Couto de Carvalho
• Grantee: Gabriel de Matos Leal Alves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Since the first formulation of the Law of Effect, the temporal relationship between behavior and consequence has been given significant importance. Results from various experimental studies on reinforcement delay have provided the basis for the formulation of several theoretical models of behavior. The present study is designed to investigate reinforcement delay through the theoretical model of the "Mathematical Principles of Reinforcement" (MPR), aiming to test the effect of such delays on the mathematical model described for variable interval (VI) schedules. To this end, 12 rats will respond under an increasing sequence of average interval values of the VI schedules, divided into two groups: Delay Group and Immediate Group. In the first group, a 4-second reinforcement delay will be applied to all VI values, while in the second group, the reinforcements will be immediate. For both groups, an inverted U-shaped function is expected, relating response rate to reinforcement rate. However, it is predicted that the response rates at intermediate and higher reinforcement rates will remain lower for the Delay Group rats than for the Immediate Group rats, as predicted by the MPR. Response rates at lower reinforcement rates, however, are expected to remain similar between the groups.