On satiation curves
Ingestive behaviour may be described by plotting the cumulative intake against time (the satiation curve). It is demonstrated that for a laboratory rat feeding in a Skinner box the most satisfactory description of this curve is a negative exponential with three parameters. The time constant is relat...
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| Published in | Animal behaviour Vol. 25; pp. 1005 - 1015 |
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| Main Author | |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
Elsevier Ltd
01.01.1977
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| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Ingestive behaviour may be described by plotting the cumulative intake against time (the satiation curve). It is demonstrated that for a laboratory rat feeding in a Skinner box the most satisfactory description of this curve is a negative exponential with three parameters. The time constant is relatively consistent for a single individual on different occasions. There are no differences between subjects. More detailed analysis shows that the satiation curve is made up of short bouts interspersed with gaps. The overall shape results from a reduction in bout size and duration as the meal progresses, but intra-bout response rate is not the same throughout the meal. The exponential form is predicted both by causal theories of satiation involving negative feedback, and by a functional explanation using optimality theory. It is concluded that none of the available explanations account for the detailed structure of the curve. |
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| ISSN: | 0003-3472 1095-8282 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/0003-3472(77)90052-5 |