Positive Reinforcement as a Correlation Between Lever Pressing and Inerease in Frequency of food Pellet Delivery in rats

Abstract

Lever pressing in food-deprived rats was acquired when it increased the probability of food pellet delivery even when a pellet could not follow a response by Iess thai 10 seconds. The probabiity of acquisition was decreased by increasing the frequenCy of pellet delivery in the absence of responding. Response rates were higher when sorne responses were immediately followed by a pellet but were Iow when pellets were delivered independently of responding. The results support te notion that a Colfelation between responding and positive teinforcer delivery. iii te sense that responding increases the frequency of reinforcer delivery, is suffkient to produce response acquisition in te absence of response-reinforcer contiguity.