Adjusting to changes in the time of reinforcement: peak-interval transitions in rats

Thirty rats received training on a peak-interval procedure, where a baseline with a 20-s time of reinforcement was interspersed among cyclic transitions to other reinforcement time values (10, 20, 30, or 40 s), each of which was either in force for only a single session or for 3 sessions. Peak times...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of experimental psychology. Animal behavior processes Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 211 - 31
Main Authors Lejeune, H, Ferrara, André, Simons, F, Wearden, J. H
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Psychological Association 01.04.1997
Subjects
Animal psychology
Animals
Appetitive Behavior
ethology
Male
Mental Recall
Motivation
Proactive Inhibition
Problem Solving
psychobiology
Rats
Reinforcement Schedule
Time Perception
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Summary:Thirty rats received training on a peak-interval procedure, where a baseline with a 20-s time of reinforcement was interspersed among cyclic transitions to other reinforcement time values (10, 20, 30, or 40 s), each of which was either in force for only a single session or for 3 sessions. Peak times were close to the time of reinforcement on the 20-s baseline and tracked the new reinforcement times both closely (but not exactly) and very rapidly. Peak time during transitions was affected by the criterion value in force on the previous session, exhibiting a proactive interference effect. Analysis of individual peak times during a session showed that transitions from lower to higher reinforcement time values were usually characterized by abrupt jumps in peak time, whereas descending transitions were mostly smooth but rapid.
ISSN:0097-7403
1939-2184
DOI:10.1037/0097-7403.23.2.211