Magnitude of partial reward and amount of training in the rat: An hypothesis of sequential effects.

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Abstract
Tested 40 female albino Sprague-Dawley rats in each of 2 experiments with alternating reward (R) and nonreward (N) for 6 trials a day in a runway. Reward was 2 or 20 .045-gm pellets, and Ss were given either brief or extended training according to a 2 * 2 factorial design. Large-reward Ss learned a pattern discrimination in both experiments (fast speeds on R trials and slow speeds on N trials), but small-reward Ss learned the discrimination only in Exp. II. Resistance to extinction following extended training was greater for small than for large reward in both experiments. The opposite effect occurred for briefly trained Ss but only in Exp. II. Results support a sequential discrimination hypothesis derived from E. J. Capaldi's aftereffects theory. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

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