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CONTEXT DEPENDENT CHANGES IN THE REINFORCING STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE‐INDUCED DRINKING
Author(s) -
Heyman Gene M.,
Bouzas Arturo
Publication year - 1980
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.1980.33-327
Subject(s) - reinforcement , schedule , context (archaeology) , polydipsia , psychology , matching law , computer science , social psychology , medicine , endocrinology , paleontology , biology , diabetes mellitus , operating system
Previous experiments show that the opportunity to engage in schedule‐induced responding is reinforcing. In this experiment, the reinforcing strength of schedule‐induced drinking was measured. Four rats were trained on a concurrent‐chain schedule. The two terminal links provided food pellets on identical fixed‐time schedules. In addition, one terminal link also provided the opportunity to press a button that operated a water dipper. In this link, the rats showed polydipsic drinking. Button‐pressing rate for polydipsic drinking was a bitonic function of pellet rate, and it was possible to describe the relationship with a slightly modified version of the matching equation for primary reinforcement. This equation also closely fit the data from other studies. Initial‐link response rates, however, did not appear to be influenced by the availability of water in the terminal links. Control conditions suggested that the reinforcing strength of polydipsia was strongly bound to the context provided by periodic food reinforcement.