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Within-session response patterns when rats press levers for water: Effects of component stimuli and experimental
J N Weatherly1, F K McSweeney2
1California State University, Chico, California, USA; Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington WA 99164-4820, USA.
Abstract:
Rats pressed levers for water reinforcers delivered by multiple variable interval one-minute variable interval one-minute schedules. Experiment 1 manipulated the stimuli signalling the components of the multiple schedule. Experiment 2 varied the experimental environment. Responding changed significantly within the session during every condition of both experiments. Manipulating the component stimuli significantly altered the within-session pattern of responding; varying the environment did not. These results show within-session patterns of responding occur when subjects respond for water reinforcers. They also imply that contextually-based explanations for within-sessions patterns of responding are unlikely.
