DIFFERENTIAL REINFORCEMENT OF OTHER BEHAVIOR AND RESPONSE SUPPRESSION- THE EFFECTS OF THE RESPONSE-REINFORCEMENT INTERVAL

Three experiments were conducted comparing the effects of the relation ship between the response-reinforcement interval and the reinforcement -reinforcement interval in a differential reinforcement of other behav ior (DRO) contingency. The experiments followed an acquisition, treatm ent, and reacquisition sequence where rats were trained to press a lev er for food, were exposed to response elimination contingencies (DRO a nd extinction), and finally tested for the effectiveness of their resp ective treatment conditions. Experiment 1 shows that the longer the re sponse-reinforcement interval the more effective the suppressive effec ts of DRO. Experiment 2 shows that it is the relationship of the respo nse-reinforcement interval to the reinforcement-reinforcement interval that is important for the effectiveness of DRO. Experiment 3 shows th at the base schedule used during training can determine the durability of the treatment procedure used. Implications for the applied literat ure using DRO and extinction are discussed.