Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Reinstatement of Drug-seeking in Mice Using the Conditioned Place Preference Paradigm
Published on: June 7, 2018
Choice for conditioned reinforcers in the signaled absence of primary reinforcement
Abstract:
Pigeons responded in a multiple schedule in which concurrent schedules of brief-stimulus presentation alternated with a component in which food was available (concurrent-chains component). In the initial links of the concurrent-chains component subjects chose either of two stimuli each correlated with the terminal link of one chain. The terminal links involved either variable-interval 30-second or variable-interval 60-second schedules. In the brief-stimulus component subjects chose between 0.5-second presentations of the terminal-link stimuli from the concurrent-chains component. Responding was generally maintained in the brief-stimulus component in two subjects for more than 300 sessions, suggesting that brief stimuli were conditioned reinforcers. During the brief-stimulus component, in 17 of 21 cases for which a minimal number of responses occurred, choice proportions above 0.55 were obtained for the brief-stimulus presentations correlated with the higher rate of primary reinforcement in the concurrent-chains component. These results support the suggestion that choice in conventional concurrent-chains procedures is partially controlled by production of the terminal-link stimuli.
Related Concept Videos
Primary and Secondary Reinforcers
Effective reinforcers for humans vary depending on the individual and the context. Primary reinforcers, such as food, water, sleep, shelter, and pleasure, have inherent value and satisfy basic biological...
Operant Conditioning Intervention
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
Principles of Classical Conditioning
During the...
Reinforcement Schedules
Once a behavior is learned,...
Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior is followed by the presentation of a rewarding stimulus, increasing the frequency of that behavior. For example:
Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement in operant conditioning can be positive or negative, both of which serve to increase the likelihood of a behavior. Positive...

