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Varying wheel-running reinforcer duration within a session: effect on the revolution-postreinforcement pause relation
1Department of Psychology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada. tbelke@mta.ca
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|April 28, 2000
Summary
This study examined how reinforcer duration affects rat wheel-running behavior. Results suggest that momentary fatigue or satiation do not significantly explain the relationship between running and subsequent pauses in reinforcement.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral neuroscience
- Animal behavior research
- Operant conditioning principles
Background:
- Previous studies linked wheel-running rate to postreinforcement pause (PRP) duration.
- The role of fatigue or satiation in this relationship remained unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between revolutions run and subsequent PRP duration.
- To differentiate between fatigue/satiation effects and other factors influencing PRP.
Main Methods:
- Seven male Wistar rats were trained on a fixed-interval 60-s schedule.
- Reinforcing consequence involved 60s of wheel-running opportunity.
- Constant (60s) and variable (2-240s, mean 60s) reinforcer durations were tested.
Main Results:
- Correlations between revolutions run and next PRP duration were -.07 (constant), .20 (variable), and -.07 (constant).
- A positive correlation in the variable-duration condition aligns with fatigue/satiation hypotheses.
- However, these factors explained minimal variance in PRP duration.
Conclusions:
- Momentary fatigue or satiation do not appear to be the primary drivers of the relationship between wheel-running and PRP duration.
- Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of reinforcement schedules.