Abstract
The present study examined fixed-ratio (FR) acquisition for food reinforcement and extinction of alcohol tube licking by albino rats. The pattern of tube licking during daily sessions of FR reinforcement was indistinguishable from barpressing patterns exposed to comparable reinforcement schedules. During extinction, alcohol consumption returned to baseline levels. Control manipulations indicated that: (l)the excessive volume of alcohol consumed during sessions was primarily due to the FR reinforcement; (2) the excessive alcohol drinking that occurred in the home cage between sessions was due to the food deprivation. Alcohol drinking appears to function like other operants exposed to FR contingencies.
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A modified version of ths paper was presented at the 32nd annual convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, June 1971, St. John’s, Nfld., Canada.
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Black, E.L., Martin, G.L. Extinction of alcohol drinking in rats following acquisition on a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement. Psychon Sci 29, 152–154 (1972). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03342577
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03342577