TOPOGRAPHY OF SIGNAL‐CENTERED BEHAVIOR IN THE RAT: EFFECTS OF DEPRIVATION STATE AND REINFORCER TYPE

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Abstract
In a series of three experiments, groups of food‐deprived and water‐deprived rats were given pairings of a retractable lever (CS+) with response‐independent deliveries of either solid or liquid reinforcers. In Experiment 1 food‐deprived rats given a solid‐pellet reinforcer differentially tended to sniff, paw, mouth, and bite the CS+ lever more often than a lever that was not paired with food (CS−), whereas food‐deprived rats given a liquid reinforcer tended to differentially sniff, paw, and lick the CS+ lever. 23½‐hour water‐deprived rats given liquid reinforcers showed very little CS+ contact. In Experiment 2 increasing the severity of water deprivation from 23½ to 47½ hours significantly increased CS+ contact. In Experiment 3, subjects that were simultaneously food and water deprived and given a water reinforcer failed to exhibit differential CS+ contact, but subjects that were simultaneously food and water deprived and given a food reinforcer did acquire differential CS+‐contact behavior. These results suggest that (a) even under a single motivational state the nature of signal‐centered behavior can be determined by type of reinforcer, (b) although water reinforcement produces less signal contact than food reinforcement, this can be facilitated with more severe water‐deprivation levels, and (c) high CS‐contact rates using food reinforcement are not simply a product of reductions in body weight with food deprivation.

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