In
classical conditioning
Classical conditioning (also known as Pavlovian or respondent conditioning) is a behavioral procedure in which a biologically potent stimulus (e.g. food) is paired with a previously neutral stimulus (e.g. a triangle). It also refers to the learni ...
, the delay reduction hypothesis states that certain discriminative
stimuli
A stimulus is something that causes a physiological response. It may refer to:
*Stimulation
**Stimulus (physiology), something external that influences an activity
**Stimulus (psychology), a concept in behaviorism and perception
*Stimulus (economi ...
(DS) are more effective signals for conditioned
reinforcer
In behavioral psychology, reinforcement is a consequence applied that will strengthen an organism's future behavior whenever that behavior is preceded by a specific antecedent stimulus. This strengthening effect may be measured as a higher freq ...
s (CR) if they signal a decrease in time to a positive reinforcer or an increase in time to an aversive stimulus or punishment. This is often applied in chain link schedules, with the final link being the aversive stimulus or positive (unconditioned) reinforcer.
History
The delay reduction hypothesis was developed in 1969 by
Edmund Fantino Edmund Fantino (June 30, 1939 – September 22, 2015) was an American experimental psychologist.
He was raised in Queens, New York before continuing on to earn his bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Cornell University in 1961, and his Ph.D. in ...
. As a hypothesis, delay reduction proposes that delays are aversive to organisms and that choices will be made by the organism to reduce delay.
When an organism was rewarded for an act it would repeat that action and hope for the same outcome. This would make that organism conditioned to either act or not act on the specific stimulius.
See also
*
Classical conditioning
Classical conditioning (also known as Pavlovian or respondent conditioning) is a behavioral procedure in which a biologically potent stimulus (e.g. food) is paired with a previously neutral stimulus (e.g. a triangle). It also refers to the learni ...
*
Fear conditioning
Pavlovian fear conditioning is a behavioral paradigm in which organisms learn to predict aversive events. It is a form of learning in which an aversive stimulus (e.g. an electrical shock) is associated with a particular neutral context (e.g., a r ...
*
References
Psychological theories
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