Question

4. A researcher would like to demonstrate how different schedules of reinforcement can influence behavior. Two separate groups of rats are trained to press a bar in order to receive a food pellet. One group is trained using a fixed ratio schedule where the rats receive one pellet for every 10 presses of the bar. The second group is trained using a fixed interval schedule where they receive one pellet for the first bar press that occurs within a 30 second interval. After four days of training, the researcher records the response rate (the number of presses per minute) for each rat. The results are summarized as follows:

Fixed Ratio​Fixed Interval

n = 4 ​n = 8

sample mean = 30​sample mean = 18

SS = 90​SS = 150

Do these data indicate that there is a significant difference in responding for these two reinforcement schedules? Test at the .05 level of significance.

Answer 1