Performance in FI with humans: effect of the interaction of the consummatory response and the type of instructions

The study investigated the effect of the consummatory response on the human performance in FI. In Experiment I, six university students were exposed to a 30-second FI schedule, during three 20- minute sessions. Half the participants (SR-I Group) were not required to emit a consummatory response in order to credit the points on the earnings counter; the other half were required to emit a consummatory response, and “additional” information about it were provided (CR-I Group). The results did not point to a clear effect of the consummatory response. In Experiment II, eight university students were exposed to a 30-second FI schedule, during three 30-minute sessions. Both groups received the same minimal instructions about the experimental task. The performance of most of the participants in the CR-II Group seemed to be under the control of FI, and most of the SR-II Group had high rates of responding. The results suggest that an interaction between the requirement of a consummatory response and the kind of instruction can favor low rates of responding under FI. Keywords: schedules of reinforcement; fixed interval; consummatory response; instructions; humans.