Abstract
Thirty male hooded rats received seven sessions of barpress training with sucrose (16% or 4%) and saccharin (.10% or 1.5%) as reward, followed by a shift from 16% to 4% sucrose and.10% to 1.5% saccharin. Four dependent measures indicated that concentrations of sucrose and saccharin that produced equivalent levels of performance produced equivalent negative contrast effects. In Experiment 2, 18 male hooded rats received four sessions of barpress training with (.10% or 1.5%) saccharin under an FR 7 schedule of reinforcement followed by a shift from.10% to 1.5%. Four of the five measures indicated negative contrast effects. Confounding inherent in the use of solid food or sucrose does not appear to account for negative incentive contrast effects.
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This research, conducted at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, was presented at the 1969 Eastern Psychological Association meeting in Philadelphia.
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Weinstein, L. Negative incentive contrast effects with saccharin vs sucrose and partial reinforcement. Psychon Sci 21, 276–278 (1970). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330713
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330713