Retention under changed-reward conditions of persistence learned by infant rats

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Abstract
Two experiments were performed to determine whether or not persistence acquired under reinforcement conditions of infancy can be retained and transferred to adult reinforcing conditions. In Experiment I 2 groups of rats 14–15 days of age were trained in a runway under a partial (PRF) or continuous (CRF) schedule of milk‐suckling reinforcement. A 3rd group was trained under continuous nonreinforcement (NRF) conditions. The PRF and CRF groups acquired the approach response about equally, and the NRF showed a very small increase in speed. In immediate extinction, the PRF group was more resistant to extinction than its CRF counterpart. For the NRF group “extinction” produced a continuation of the low‐level “acquisition” performance. Experiment II showed that persistence acquired at 14–15 days with milk‐suckling reinforcement can be sustained through a 2‐week retention period including a phase of CRF food‐pellet reward.