Effects of nonreinforcement on subsequently reinforced running behavior.

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Abstract
Forty albino rats were given two trials per day, separated by 45 min., in a straight alley under 22 hr. of water deprivation. Half of the Ss received 100% and half 50% reinforcement for 96 trials of acquisition. Half of each received 24 extinction trials'' the other half continuing on reinforcement schedules. All Ss then received 30 trials under 100% reinforcement. fa addition to latency and running time measures, S''s path was recorded in detail with a special "contact" recorder. At the end of acquisition 50% Ss were running more rapidly than 100% Ss but the difference was not significant. During the last 30 trials of the experiment Ss with 50% reinforcement were running more rapidly than Ss with 100% reinforcement, and Ss with extinction were running more rapidly than those without. The 50% reinforcement Ss ran more rapidly after being shifted to 100%. These differences were statistically significant. The interaction between the extinction and proportion of reinforcement variables was not significant. In general the various measures taken of spatial location and variability showed no relation to the independent variables and quite low correlations with speed of running.
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