Identifier
etd-11122012-154709
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Two pairing procedures were compared in the conditioning of a secondary reinforcer. Pairings of a neutral stimulus and primary reinforcer were delivered either contingent upon a participant response or noncontingently (i.e., independent of a participant response). Maintenance of responding when responses resulted in the neutral stimulus alone was compared before and throughout pairing using progressive-ratio probes. Results yielded undifferentiated responding between the contingently-paired and noncontingently-paired stimuli and a stimulus never paired with reinforcement, indicating that no conditioning effect occurred. Potential factors in producing this lack of differentiation are discussed, including differences in methodology between this study and past studies.
Date
2012
Document Availability at the Time of Submission
Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.
Recommended Citation
Miller, Sarah Joanne, "A comparison of response-contingent and noncontingent pairing in the conditioning of a reinforcer" (2012). LSU Master's Theses. 1395.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/1395
Committee Chair
Noell, George
DOI
10.31390/gradschool_theses.1395