Runway Performance as a Function of Delayed Reinforcement and Delay-Box Confinement
Abstract
Two experiments were carried out to determine the effect of 20-sec. delay of reinforcement on 0, 33, 67, 100% of runway trials and 20-sec. confinement in the delay box on 0, 33, 67, and 100% of the extinction trials. Experiment I (N=76 rats) had 72 training and 30 extinction trials with 1 trial per day; Experiment II (N=47) had the same numbers of trials but 6 trials per day. A control group had 33% delay trials in a single block. The 100% delay group was significantly slower in training. The group with 67% delay in training ran the fastest in extinction. Running speed in extinction was inversely related to percentage of confinement in extinction. Shifts to higher percentages of confinement in extinction led to faster extinction; shifts to lower percentages of confinement led to slower extinction. The results, which were similar in the two experiments, were related to previous studies and discussed in terms of cognitive dissonance theory and a relativistic conception of reward.
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