Effect of deprivation level on the magnitude of positive induction in discriminative straight-alley performance.
Groups of rats received discriminative straight-alley training under 75% or 90% predeprivation body weight levels. After training, one-half of the subjects at each body weight level received extinction trials to only the stimulus associated with reward (S +), and one-half received intermixed extinction trials to S + and the stimulus associated with nonreward (S -). In extinction, rats trained under 75% body weight displayed greater persistence when alternated between S + and S - than when extinguished to S + only (positive induction). Subjects trained under 90% body weight levels failed to show evidence of positive induction. These results support an interpretation of positive induction based on deprivation-dependent frustrative reactions.
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005108:Extinction, Psychological; D005508:Food Deprivation; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D051381:Rats