The effect of food deprivation on within-session patterns of wheel running

In the present study, rats’ wheel running was reinforced when they responded at different food deprivations. In experiment 1, fourths of a wheel turn were reinforced on a variable interval (VI) 15- or 60-s schedule during 50-min sessions. Subjects responded at 75, 85 or 95% of their free-feeding bod...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioural processes 1999-06, Vol.46 (2), p.121-129
Main Authors: Weatherly, Jeffrey N, McMurry, Ashley S, Melville, Cam L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal
Biological and medical sciences
Conditioning
Food deprivation
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Learning. Memory
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Rat
Variable interval schedule
Wheel running
Within-session response patterns
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Summary:In the present study, rats’ wheel running was reinforced when they responded at different food deprivations. In experiment 1, fourths of a wheel turn were reinforced on a variable interval (VI) 15- or 60-s schedule during 50-min sessions. Subjects responded at 75, 85 or 95% of their free-feeding body weights, across conditions. Within-session decreases in responding were steepest at subjects’ 75% weights for the VI 60-s schedule, but were similar at different weights for the VI 15-s schedule. In experiment 2, subjects responded on a VI 60-s schedule at 75 or 95% of their free-feeding body weights. Reinforcer size was one or four food pellets. Steeper within-session decreases in responding were observed at subjects’ 75% weight than at their 95% weight, with no effect of reinforcer amount. The present results cannot disconfirm either leading theory for within-session changes because the terms involved (i.e. habituation and satiation) are not adequately defined. However, the present results seem to pose problems for both explanations.
ISSN:0376-6357
1872-8308
DOI:10.1016/S0376-6357(99)00031-5