Abstract
In order to investigate the relationship between physiological adaptation to the cold and behavioral responses for food while in the cold, groups of rats were exposed to either −10°C or 21°C ambient temperatures. Exposures to the −10°C temperature produced a physiological adaptation to the cold as indicated by a progressively smaller reduction in body temperature over days following cold exposure. After 16 days of 50-min temperature exposures, behavioral testing started. Subjects were placed in −10°C environment and their barpress rates for food reinforcement were recorded. Results showed that the rats previously adapted to the cold responded more for food than rats not previously adapted to the cold. The physiological and behavioral effects of cold adaptation were not maintained after a 10-day retention period.
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This research was supported by the Faculty Grant-In-Aid Program of Virginia Commonwealth University.
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Hamm, R.J., Rosen, F.P. The effect of cold adaptation on food-motivated behavior. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 14, 77–79 (1979). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329405
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329405