Acquisition and maintenance of lever pressing by rats without explicit reinforcer deprivation

Abstract

Two experiments stablish and maintained the pressure oflever response in rats, using water as the first in a procedure reforazadosr drinking induced in the second program, with food as a reinforcer in a procedure for r the po-induced eating protrama. Inexperiments 1 and 2 respectively, were used for concurrent programs random time 60 s food or water programs and water-tsfixed interval (t = 64, 32, 16 or 8 s) or meal (t = 8 , 16, 32, 64 s). In Experiment 1 established response in each of three rats with a fixed interval diferete water. In experiment 2, the response was established in the three rats with the fixed interval of 8 s. food In both experiments, once the response occurred during theincremental patterns intervals. As in experiment 2 the response was established from the first condition, we observed a covariationbetween rates of reinforcement and response. These results support the reduction of drinking and eating program inducedoperant behavior reinforced by water and food respectively. Also discussed was the indirect nature of deprivation and reinforcement.