DIFFERENCES IN THE EFFECT OF PAVLOVIAN CONTINGENCIES UPON BEHAVIORAL MOMENTUM USING AUDITORY VERSUS VISUAL-STIMULI

We examined the role of Pavlovian and operant relations in behavioral momentum by arranging response-contingent alternative reinforcement in one component of a three-component multiple concurrent schedule with rats. This permitted the simultaneous arranging of different response- reinforcer (operant) and stimulus-reinforcer (Pavlovian) contingencies during three baseline conditions. Auditory or visual stimuli were use d as discriminative stimuli within the multiple concurrent schedules. Resistance to change of a target response was assessed during a single session of extinction following each baseline condition. The rate of the rat-get response during baseline varied inversely with the rate of response-contingent reinforcement derived from a concurrent source, r egardless of whether the discriminative stimuli were auditory or visua l. Resistance to change of the target response, however, did depend on the discriminative-stimulus modality. Resistance to change in the pre sence of visual stimuli was a positive function of the Pavlovian conti ngencies, whereas resistance to change was unrelated to either the ope rant or Pavlovian contingencies when the discriminative stimuli were a uditory. Stimulus salience may be a factor in determining the differen ces in resistance to change across sensory modalities.