Home cage feeding time controls responding under multiple schedules

Abstract

Eleven rats were exposed to a multiple variable-interval 1-min variable-interval 1-min schedule of reinforcement. All rats were initially fed a daily ration of food in the home cages immediately after the end of each session. In a later phase of the experiment, the same amount of food was fed 1 h after the end of each session. Later, five rats were again fed immediately after each session. Amount of food received and deprivation level in terms of percent of free feeding weight were constant across conditions. Response rates decreased within each session under immediate feeding. When feeding was delayed, rates in each component of the multiple schedule increased throughout the session and the decreasing trends were generally eliminated. The results suggest that home cage feeding time, apart from changes in deprivational level, is an important variable in the control of behavior in experimental sessions. © 1976 Psychonomic Society, Inc.