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Related Concept Videos

Timing and Consequences on Behavior01:08

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

903
In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective. 
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant...
903

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 27, 2026

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats
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Reward expectation modulates variability in path choice in rats.

Kelly A Griffith, Emily M Farnsworth, W David Stahlman

    Animal Cognition
    |July 13, 2014
    PubMed
    Summary

    Rats show increased behavioral variability when expecting less rewarding outcomes. This study used a novel measure to confirm that lower reward expectation leads to more varied actions in rats.

    Area of Science:

    • Behavioral neuroscience
    • Animal behavior research
    • Learning and memory

    Background:

    • Behavioral variability is linked to reward expectation.
    • Low reinforcement expectation predicts increased action variability.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • Investigate the relationship between reward expectation and behavioral variability.
    • Utilize a novel measure for assessing behavioral variability.

    Main Methods:

    • Two experiments with rats navigating a column maze.
    • Varying reward types: maintenance diet (chow) vs. palatable reward (cereal).
    • Within-subjects and between-groups designs to measure path variability.

    Main Results:

    • Rats exhibited significantly greater path variability when the reinforcer was chow.

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  • This effect was consistent across both experimental designs.
  • The novel measure effectively captured differences in behavioral variability.

    • Conclusions:

    • Lower reward expectation, exemplified by a maintenance diet, increases behavioral variability.
    • Findings support the predictive relationship between reward and behavioral flexibility.
    • A new behavioral measure validates existing theories on reward and action selection.