Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Timing and Consequences on Behavior01:08

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

83
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...
83
Reinforcement Schedules01:24

Reinforcement Schedules

134
Positive reinforcement is a powerful method for teaching new behaviors to both animals and humans. B.F. Skinner demonstrated this with his experiments using rats in a Skinner box. When a rat pressed a lever, it received a food pellet. This immediate reward encouraged the rat to repeat the behavior. This method, where a reward follows every instance of the behavior, is known as continuous reinforcement. It is highly effective for establishing new behaviors quickly.
Once a behavior is learned,...
134
Operant Conditioning Intervention01:24

Operant Conditioning Intervention

51
Operant conditioning serves as a foundational principle in therapeutic interventions aimed at modifying maladaptive behaviors. Central to this approach is the notion that behaviors, both adaptive and maladaptive, are learned through reinforcement. By analyzing the environmental factors that reinforce problematic behaviors, clinicians can design interventions to weaken these reinforcements and replace maladaptive behaviors with healthier alternatives.
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
51

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The behavioral and neural architecture of observational active avoidance is shaped by demonstrator experience and observer sex.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Establishment of a Diabetes-Tailored Data Intelligence Platform Enhances Clinical Care, Enables Risk-Based Monitoring, and Facilitates Population-Health-Based Approaches at a Pediatric Diabetes Network.

Journal of diabetes science and technology·2025
Same author

Modifying the platform-mediated avoidance task: A new protocol to study active avoidance within a social context in rats.

PloS one·2025
Same author

Social context modulates active avoidance: Contributions of the anterior cingulate cortex in male and female rats.

Neurobiology of stress·2024
Same author

Correlation Between the Glycemia Risk Index and Longitudinal Hemoglobin A1c in Children and Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes.

Journal of diabetes science and technology·2024
Same author

The Glycemia Risk Index Predicts Performance of Diabetes Self-Management Habits in Youth With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

Journal of diabetes science and technology·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
09:12

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

Published on: March 17, 2019

9.4K

Abbreviated fixed-interval interventions promote self-control in rats.

Kelsey Panfil1, Travis R Smith2, Lexe West1

  • 1Department of Psychological Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, United States.

Behavioural Processes
|October 11, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Time-based interventions reduce impulsive choice in rats by improving temporal processing. Even brief exposures to delayed rewards significantly enhance self-control and timing abilities.

Keywords:
Fixed-intervalImpulsive choiceInterventionRatSelf-control

More Related Videos

A Novel Procedure for Evaluating the Reinforcing Properties of Tastants in Laboratory Rats: Operant Intraoral Self-administration
11:16

A Novel Procedure for Evaluating the Reinforcing Properties of Tastants in Laboratory Rats: Operant Intraoral Self-administration

Published on: February 6, 2014

12.7K
Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task SAT for Rats
09:31

Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task SAT for Rats

Published on: September 15, 2017

9.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
09:12

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

Published on: March 17, 2019

9.4K
A Novel Procedure for Evaluating the Reinforcing Properties of Tastants in Laboratory Rats: Operant Intraoral Self-administration
11:16

A Novel Procedure for Evaluating the Reinforcing Properties of Tastants in Laboratory Rats: Operant Intraoral Self-administration

Published on: February 6, 2014

12.7K
Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task SAT for Rats
09:31

Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task SAT for Rats

Published on: September 15, 2017

9.7K

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral neuroscience
  • Animal behavior and cognition

Background:

  • Impulsive choice, selecting smaller-sooner rewards over larger-later ones, is a key aspect of self-control.
  • Time-based interventions involving delayed rewards have previously shown promise in reducing impulsive choice and improving temporal processing in rats.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of varying durations of time-based interventions on reducing impulsive choice and improving temporal processing.
  • To determine if shorter intervention periods are sufficient to yield benefits in self-control and timing.

Main Methods:

  • Experiment 1 utilized a pre-/post-test design with rats exposed to 6, 15, 30, or 45 sessions of delayed reward intervention.
  • Peak-interval timing tasks were used to assess temporal processing abilities.
  • Experiment 2 compared a 6-session intervention group to a no-delay control group, also assessing the impact of pre-intervention impulsive choice assessment.

Main Results:

  • All intervention durations, including abbreviated ones (6 sessions), significantly reduced impulsive choice and improved peak-interval timing.
  • A 6-session intervention demonstrated improved self-control compared to a no-delay control.
  • Exposure to the impulsive choice task itself, prior to intervention, enhanced temporal processing.

Conclusions:

  • Abbreviated time-based interventions are sufficient to reduce impulsive choice and enhance temporal processing in rats.
  • The duration of intervention exposure can be significantly shortened while still achieving benefits in self-control.
  • The assessment procedure for impulsive choice may independently contribute to improvements in temporal processing.