Operant behavior in dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli): Effects of rate of reinforcement and reinforcer flavor variety
| Autor: | Jennifer L. LaCasse, Sarah Drummond, Linda C. Blackwell, Gwen Lupfer-Johnson, Eric S. Murphy |
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| Rok vydání: | 2010 |
| Předmět: |
Male
medicine.medical_specialty Reinforcement Schedule Time Factors Phodopus Models Psychological Audiology Developmental psychology Behavioral Neuroscience Reward Cricetinae biology.domesticated_animal medicine Animals Operant conditioning Habituation Reinforcement Analysis of Variance biology Phodopus campbelli Taste Perception Feeding Behavior General Medicine biology.organism_classification Rate of reinforcement Taste Conditioning Operant Conditioning Female Animal Science and Zoology Psychology Hoarding (animal behavior) |
| Zdroj: | Behavioural Processes. 84:573-580 |
| ISSN: | 0376-6357 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.beproc.2010.02.016 |
| Popis: | We investigated operant behavior in a novel species, the dwarf hamster ( Phodopus campbelli ). In two experiments, hamsters were trained to lever-press for food reinforcement. In Experiment 1, rate of reinforcement was manipulated across conditions using four variable-interval schedules of reinforcement (delivering one to eight reinforcers per min). As predicted, within-session decreases in responding were steepest on the richest schedule. In Experiment 2, lever-pressing was reinforced by either a constant or a variety of flavored food pellets. Within-session decreases in responding were steeper when the reinforcer flavor remained constant than when it was varied within the session. In both experiments, subjects hoarded most reinforcers in their cheek pouches rather than consuming them in the operant chambers. These results are incompatible with post-ingestive satiety variables as explanations for within-session decreases in operant responding and suggest that habituation to repeatedly presented reinforcers best accounts for subjects’ response patterns. Additionally, a mathematical model that describes behavior undergoing habituation also described the present results, thus strengthening the conclusion that habituation mediates the reinforcing efficacy of food. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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