Two groups of 12 8-wk.-old kittens were tested for the reinforcing effect of illumination change resulting from displacement of a spherical plastic manipulandum. For one group responding turned on a dim light in the darkened test box, and for the other group responding turned the light off. Both groups were given 3 familiarization sessions followed by 8 test sessions in which one of two identical manipulanda affected illumination. The onset group developed a reliable preference for the light change manipulandum, and the light offset group did not.
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