KEY PECKING DURING EXTINCTION AFTER INTERMITTENT OR CONTINUOUS REINFORCEMENT AS A FUNCTION OF THE NUMBER OF REINFORCERS DELIVERED DURING TRAINING

Key pecking by 7 pigeons was established and maintained on a multiple variable-ratio variable-ratio (VR) schedule of food presentation. The schedule in one of the components was then changed to fixed-ratio (FR) 1 for a predetermined number of reinforcers. Both components were the n changed to extinction (i.e., multiple extinction, extinction). This sequence was repeated a different number of times for each pigeon to d etermine the relation between the number of reinforcers delivered duri ng each component of the multiple VR FR 1 schedule and the number of r esponses during extinction. For most pigeons, there were fewer respons es during extinction in the presence of a stimulus recently correlated with FR 1, regardless of the number of reinforcers received. The rati o of the total responses in extinction in the former VR component to t he total responses in the former FR 1 component increased as the numbe r of reinforcers delivered during each component of the multiple sched ule increased. Within-subject replications of the partial-reinforcemen t extinction effect generally occurred, and there were no overall redu ctions in the number of responses in extinction with repeated exposure s to extinction.