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BRAIN STIMULATION AS A REINFORCER: INTERMITTENT SCHEDULES 1
Author(s) -
Pliskoff Stanley S.,
Wright James E.,
Hawkins T. Daryl
Publication year - 1965
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.1965.8-75
Subject(s) - lever , medial forebrain bundle , reinforcement , stimulation , brain stimulation , psychology , forebrain , neuroscience , social psychology , central nervous system , dopamine , physics , striatum , quantum mechanics
Rats with chronically implanted, bipolar electrodes in the septal and medial forebrain bundle areas, in addition to the region of the mammillary bodies of the posterior hypothalamus, were trained to press a permanently mounted lever in order to produce a second, retractable lever. Rewarding brain stimulation was programmed on the retractable lever; following completion of the programmed number of CRF response‐stimulations, that lever was retracted from the box. Responding on the permanent lever could reintroduce the retractable lever. Fixed interval, fixed ratio, DRL, and variable interval schedules were programmed on the permanent lever in the range of schedule parameters often used with conventional reinforcers. Typical effects are described, and it is concluded that there are no striking differences between brain‐stimulation reinforcement and the conventional reinforcers.