Abstract

RUIZ, Jorge S.  and  BRUNER, Carlos A.. Effects of interfood interval and delay of water reinforcement on schedule-induced drinking. Rev. mex. anál. conducta [online]. 2011, vol.37, n.3, pp.19-31. ISSN 0185-4534.

In the present experiment effects of decreasing the rate of response-independent food were determined in combination with either delayed or immediate water reinforcement on the frequency of lever pressing in a schedule-induced drinking procedure. For six food-deprived rats food was delivered on a random-time schedule with mean values that were increased geometrically from 64 to 128, 256, 512, and 1024 s, and then decreased again to 256 and 64 s. For three rats lever pressing was reinforced with water on a random-interval 8-s schedule. For the other three rats lever pressing was reinforced with water on a tandem random-interval 6-s fixed-time 2-s. Decreasing the rate of response-independent food decreased the rate of lever pressing under both immediate and delayed reinforcement; however, this decrease in the rate of lever pressing was greatest in the three rats that received delayed reinforcement. It was concluded that decreasing the rate of response-independent food and increasing the delay between the water-producing response and water delivery have additive effects because each contributes to a decrease in the reinforcing value of water.

Keywords : inter-food interval; delay of water reinforcement; schedule-induced drinking; rats.