Abstract
Responding under fixed-interval schedules was studied in three pigeons as a function of three deprivation procedures. Postreinforcement pauses and response rate were measured separately, and quarter-life values were determined. The terminal performance for each bird was characterized by break-and-run patterns of response. Chronic changes in body weight of 5% to 10% of the bird’s free-feeding weight systematically influenced response rates, but postreinforcement pauses and quarter-life values did not change. Neither prefeeding nor acute periods of deprivation up to 72 h resulted in consistent changes in any of the dependent measures. Deprivation primarily influences postreinforcement pausing under fixed-ratio schedules, while response rate is unaffected. Thus deprivation appears to influence behavior differentially under the two schedules.
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Powell, R.W. The effect of deprivation upon fixed-interval responding: A two-state analysis. Psychon Sci 26, 31–34 (1972). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03337876
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03337876