Abstract
The relative preferences of four rhesus monkeys for reward probability versus reward amount when they were maintained on a low-protein (3.35%) diet were compared with those demonstrated when they were fed an adequate (13.4%) protein diet. Four stimulus objects, each signifying a different combination of reward frequency and amount (100%-one piece, 50%-2 pieces, 33%-three pieces, or 25%-four pieces), were presented in pairs, one pair per daily session, with trial schedules providing the same amount of reward within each set of 12 trials. Selections of the more frequently rewarded objects, but with lesser amounts per trial, were significantly higher during the low-protein phase than during either the preceding or the following normal-diet phases. Protein deprivation produces a changed motivational state making these animals less tolerant of infrequent or postponed reinforcement.
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This work was supported in part by Grant HD-07479 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
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Hill, C.W., Riopelle, A.J. & King, A.R. Protein deprivation and food-related risk-taking preferences of rhesus monkeys. Animal Learning & Behavior 11, 116–118 (1983). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03212317
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03212317