Graduate Studies THE EFFECTS OF EXTINCTION ON HUMAN PERFORMANCE FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO FIXED RATIO SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT

This experiment examined the effects of extinction on rate of responding and several topographical and temporal measures in adult humans. Three college students were trained to type the sequence 1•5•3 on a numeric keypad on a computer. The subjects were exposed to different fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement (FR1, FR 5, and FR10 respectively) and extinction. Subjects displayed typical schedule performances during the maintenance phase of the experiment. During extinction the performances were disrupted, they showed a “break and run ” pattern and a general decrease in responding. Also, new topographical and temporal patterns emerged. These data are consistent with those reported for non-human species and special human populations. ii Copyright 1999 b