CONDITIONING OF A FREE OPERANT IN OCTOPUS CYANEUS GRAY 1

Abstract

Operant conditioning was studied in six specimens of Octopus cyaneus Gray. An “arm‐out‐of‐water” operant, in which the octopus inserted an arm up a feeding‐tube breaking the water surface, proved susceptible to reinforcement schedules. An apparatus was developed that provided automated reinforcement and recording. Performance was studied under continuous reinforcement, fixed‐ratio and variable‐ratio schedules, and extinction conditions.