Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
Eduardo Polín and Vicente Pérez
UNED - The National Distance Education University
Background: The objective of the present study was to compare both the acquisition speed and the resistance to extinction of a simple discrimination in pigeons, depending on whether the reinforcing consequence included different conditioned reinforcer stimuli or always the same. Method: The study was conducted with four experimentally naive female pigeons, which were trained to respond to a “go-no go” procedure in four Skinner boxes with coupled touchscreens. The subjects were divided into two conditions with two subjects each. In the Experimental condition, the reinforcement of correct trials was performed by the presentation of one of four previously trained conditioned reinforcers followed by food, while in the Control condition the conditioned reinforcer stimulus was always the same. After acquiring the discrimination, all the subjects were exposed to the extinction phase. Results: The subjects of the Experimental condition needed about half of the sessions that the subjects of the Control condition needed to acquire the discrimination. In addition, subjects of the Experimental condition continued responding for more sessions than Control subjects in the extinction phase, although there were no differences in the resistance to extinction. Conclusions: Acquisition speed is greater when a variety of conditioned reinforcers is applied.
Efecto del reforzamiento variado en la velocidad de adquisición y extinción. Antecedentes: el presente estudio tenía como objetivo comparar tanto la velocidad de adquisición como la resistencia a la extinción de una discriminación simple en palomas en función de si la consecuencia reforzante comprendía distintos estímulos reforzadores condicionados o siempre el mismo. Método: el estudio se realizó con cuatro palomas hembra experimentalmente ingenuas entrenadas para responder a un procedimiento “go-no go” en cuatro cajas de Skinner con pantallas táctiles acopladas. Los sujetos fueron divididos en dos condiciones con dos sujetos cada una. En la condición Experimental el reforzamiento de los ensayos correctos se realizó mediante la presentación de alguno de los cuatro reforzadores condicionados previamente seguido de comida, mientras que en la condición Control el reforzador condicionado era siempre el mismo. Tras adquirir la discriminación, todos los sujetos pasaron a la fase de extinción. Resultados: los sujetos de la condición Experimental necesitaron aproximadamente la mitad de sesiones para adquirir la discriminación que los de la condición Control. Además, los sujetos de la condición Experimental continuaron respondiendo durante más sesiones que los de la condición Control durante la fase de extinción, aunque ambos presentaron la misma resistencia. Conclusiones: la velocidad de adquisición es mayor cuando se aplica una variedad de reforzadores condicionados.