Retention under changed‐reward conditions of persistence learned by infant rats

Two experiments were performed to determine whether or not persistence acquired under reinforcement conditions of infancy can be retained and transferred to adult reinforcing conditions. In Experiment I 2 groups of rats 14–15 days of age were trained in a runway under a partial (PRF) or continuous (CRF) schedule of milk‐suckling reinforcement. A 3rd group was trained under continuous nonreinforcement (NRF) conditions. The PRF and CRF groups acquired the approach response about equally, and the NRF showed a very small increase in speed. In immediate extinction, the PRF group was more resistant to extinction than its CRF counterpart. For the NRF group “extinction” produced a continuation of the low‐level “acquisition” performance. Experiment II showed that persistence acquired at 14–15 days with milk‐suckling reinforcement can be sustained through a 2‐week retention period including a phase of CRF food‐pellet reward.