Instrumental conditioning of the rat cardiac control systems.
The PR, PP, and RR intervals of the rat EKG were instrumentally conditioned using a variety of reinforcement schedules under computer control. The PR and PP intervals could be conditioned independently. Individual rats demonstrated either a steady shift of their response distribution or an abrupt change of an all-or-none variety. Some response distributions shifted continuously; others, through the growth of new response patterns in a manner reminiscent of hypothesis-testing behavior of human subjects. A study of the effects of single reinforcements showed that each reinforcement contributed to the learning behavior of the subject, in a well-defined but nonlinear fashion.
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D003201:Computers; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004597:Electroshock; D004987:Ethers / Q000494:pharmacology; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology; D011603:Psychophysiology; D011678:Punishment; D051381:Rats; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D013623:Tail
D004987:Ethers; D010424:Pentobarbital