Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
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The contribution of the response-reinforcer dependency to the control of behavior was investigated. Pigeons were trained to key peck under a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement. ⋯ Response rates were related to the percentage of response-dependent reinforcement with lower response rates associated with smaller percentages of response-dependent reinforcement. The results suggest that the response-reinforcer relation exerts control over behavior in a manner similar to that exerted by other parameters of reinforcement.