title: The effects of stopping and restarting a session on within-session patterns of responding.
abstract: Rats pressed levers for sweetened condensed milk reinforcers delivered according to a multiple variable-interval 1-min, variable-interval 1-min schedule during 60-min baseline sessions. The obtained pattern of responding was an early-session increase in responding followed by a relatively constant rate of responding during the remainder of the session. In the experimental conditions of experiment 1, sessions were interrupted by a blackout or timeout lasting either 5, 10, or 30 min. Responding following 5- or 10-min interruptions resembled the constant rate of responding late in the baseline sessions. However, responding increased before 30-min interruptions and increased again after the interruption. This change in the pattern of responding was best described as a `restarting' of the within-session pattern of responding. In experiment 2, a 30-min blackout interrupted sessions. However, reinforcers were presented intermittently during the blackout. Responding did not restart following the 30-min blackout-with-reinforcers condition. These results suggest that the mere presentation of reinforcers is sufficient to maintain within-session changes in responding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology: Experimental, Box 90086, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0086, USA; Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Cannon
authors.affiliation: Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
authors.forename: F K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: McSweeney