SAGE Journal Articles

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SAGE Journal User Guide

Article 1
 
Taylor, D., Lincoln, A. J., & Foster,  S. L. (2010). Impaired behavior regulation under conditions of concurrent variable schedules of reinforcement in children with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 13, 358-368
 
Summary:
This article examines the performance of children with ADHD on variable schedules of reinforcement. The authors relate performance with and without a changeover delay to how contingencies operate in the natural environment.
 
Discussion Questions:
  1. On what schedules were children tested? What was the reward provided?
  2. Which schedule of reinforcement elicited the best performance from the children?
  3. What was the impact of the changeover delay on responding on the schedules of partial reinforcement?
  4. In the Discussion, what did the authors offer as an explanation for the difference in performance with and without a changeover delay?
 
Article 2
 
Caron, P.-O. (2015). Matching without learning. Adaptive Behavior, 23, 227-233
 
Summary:
This mathematical model of the generalized matching law attempts to account for both actions of organisms and constraints of the environment. The constraints of the environment are important to consider because these constraints can contribute to a pattern of behavior that resembles actual choices that organisms make without there being actual choice.
 
Discussion Questions:
  1. How good is the generalized matching law at predicting choice? In other words, how much of the variance does it explain?
  2. In the mathematical model presented here, how much variance can the model explain without appealing to behavior or to reinforcers?
  3. What does the author view are the implications of their findings for thinking about matching behaviors.