Response contingent auditory reinforcement in the rat

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Abstract
The acquisition and performance levels of responding for auditory intensity changes in rats are presented. A sound decrease was found to be more reinforcing than an equivalent sound increase. A preference experiment ruled out the possibility that the differences found could be accounted for by an aversion for the higher sound intensity. Several parallels between the reinforcing properties of sound and light intensity changes are drawn. The results are interpreted as showing that a change per se in the auditory modality can be reinforcing.