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IMMEDIATE POSTSESSION FEEDING REDUCES OPERANT RESPONDING IN RATS
Author(s) -
Smethells John R.,
Fox Andrew T.,
Andrews Jennifer J.,
Reilly Mark P.
Publication year - 2012
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.2012.97-203
Subject(s) - psychology , session (web analytics) , context (archaeology) , schedule , developmental psychology , computer science , biology , paleontology , world wide web , operating system
Three experiments investigated the effects of immediate and delayed postsession feeding on progressive‐ratio and variable‐interval schedule performance in rats. During Experiments 1 and 2, immediate postsession feeding decreased the breakpoint, or largest completed ratio, under progressive‐ratio schedules. Experiment 3 was conducted to extend the results of the first two experiments to responding maintained by variable‐interval schedules with different session lengths (15 and 60 min). Response rates decreased in all 4 subjects when postsession feeding immediately followed a 15‐min session and in 3 of 4 subjects when postsession feeding immediately followed a 60‐min session. The implications of this research are twofold: (1) The functional context in which within‐session reinforcers are embedded extends outside the experimental chamber, and (2) supplemental postsession feedings should be sufficiently delayed from the end of a session to avoid weakening operant behavior in the experimental sessions.