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For contacting a virtual cylinder located near the centre of the experimental tank, 4 male Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) received food reinforcement on a fixed-ratio (FR) 6 schedule. Ten times per second a tracking system recorded, in 3 dimensions, the location of the fish in the experimental tank. For each fish, the number of responses per session, the 2 dimensional swimming patterns, and the response patterns as observed in cumulative response plots were analyzed in 4 experimental conditions. The experimental conditions were: (a) both a response-location stimulus and a response-feedback stimulus were present; (b) neither a response-location nor a response-feedback stimulus were present; (c) only a response-location stimulus was present; (d) only a response-feedback stimulus was present. After experiencing the conditions, 2 fish were exposed to extinction, first with only the response-location stimulus present and then with the addition of the response-feedback stimulus. The combination of the response-location and the response-feedback stimulus and the response-location stimulus alone resulted in the highest number of responses per session and swimming patterns more concentrated in and around the target response location. The absence of a response-location stimulus and a response-feedback stimulus resulted in fewer responses per session and swimming patterns more spread out than in the conditions where the response-location stimulus was present. The response-feedback stimulus alone produced patterns similar to the condition where neither stimuli were present. In neither condition was an FR break-and-run response pattern observed in the cumulative response plots. The addition of the feedback-stimulus to the extinction resulted in a temporary increase in responding for one fish, but not for the other. The results suggested that the response-location stimulus functioned as a discriminative stimulus and that the response-feedback stimulus functioned as a conditioned reinforcer when combined with the coin, though its role in the absence of the coin was less clear. The characteristics of the response topography and the variability in the location of the consumption response may have contributed to the lack of a break-and-run pattern under FR6 with fish.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Psychology Department, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

This investigation examined the differences in REACT, RT, and jumping performance for the countermovement jump (CMJ) versus squat jump (SJ) when beginning the movement by responding to auditory (AUD) versus visual (VIS) stimuli. The secondary purposes of this investigation are to examine gender and physical activity level differences of the aforementioned metrics and the relationship between maximal strength, REACT, and RT. Twenty-eight participants (females = 16 and males = 12) were split into three groups (low = 6, moderate = 10, and high = 12) based on their perceived physical activity levels in accordance with ACSM physical activity requirements. Over the course of two days, participants completed an isometric midthigh pull (IMTP), CMJs, and SJs on force plates. Participants jumped as fast as possible upon receiving either an AUD or VIS stimulus in randomized order and without awareness of the stimulus type. Additionally, participants completed maximum voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) for the tibialis anterior (TA), medial head of the gastrocnemius (GM), rectus femoris, and biceps femoris (BF) of the right leg using Electromyography (EMG) on day two. Participants then completed the CMJ and SJ protocols from day one. The findings revealed that participants displayed significantly faster reaction times (RT) to VIS stimuli than AUD stimuli. Furthermore, RT was faster during the CMJ. The low physical activity group showed faster reaction times during the CMJ. However, no significant differences were observed for the CMJ metric. Significant variations in muscle EMG root mean square (RMS) and mean power frequency (MPF) values were found for both AUD and VIS stimuli during the CMJ phases. Peak propulsive power and jump height (JH) significantly differed during the AUD stimulus for the SJ, while muscle strength did not show a significant correlation with either stimulus. This study highlights the influence of stimulus type and physical activity levels during quick reactions and explosive movements. Training methods and practice tactics may benefit from including visual cues to enhance performance, especially for athletes in sports where rapid visual processing and reaction are critical.

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Fluent component performances may be more readily available for recombination into more complex repertoires. This experiment considered the stimulus equivalence preparation as a laboratory analog for the co-adduction said to occur in generative instruction. Seven adults received minimum training on 18 conditional discriminations, components of 9 potential stimulus equivalence classes. Training was interrupted periodically with tests to determine whether fluency of original relations predicted emergence of derived relations. Fluency predicted emergence in 2 of 17 instances of emergent derived relations for 4 subjects. One subject demonstrated fluency without derived relations. Training accuracies as low as 58% preceded emergence for 3 subjects. Fluency appears to be neither necessary nor sufficient for derived relations. Fluency's role may be in retention and complex application tasks rather than acquisition of behavioral relations.

No description available.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xiii, 111 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-107).