4 food-deprived, female albino rats were exposed to baseline and free-reinforcement schedule conditions in which either water or alcohol solution were concurrently available or the alcohol solution was available alone. The results replicate previous findings but are not explicable by current motivational or reinforcement theoretical notions. Practical and theoretical considerations with regard to these data are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AlfanoA. J.Saline preference in polydipsic rats. Unpublished Master's thesis, Florida State Univer., 1967.
2.
CoulsonG. E.KofferK. B.CoulsonV.Reinforcement of ethanol consumption in rats by an increase in the frequency of food-pellet delivery. Psychonomic Science, 1971, 23, 103–104.
FalkJ. L.Production of polydipsia in normal rats by an intermittent food schedule. Science, 1961, 133, 195–196.
5.
FalkJ. L.Studies on schedule-induced polydipsia. In WaynerM. J. (Ed.), Thirst: First International Symposium on Thirst in the Regulation of Body Water. New York: Pergamon, 1964. Pp. 95–116.
6.
HolmanR. B.MyersR. D.Ethanol consumption under conditions of psychogenic polydipsia. Physiology and Behavior, 1968, 3, 369–371.
7.
LesterD.Self-maintenance of intoxication in the rat. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 1961, 22, 223–231.
8.
PremackD.Reinforcement theory. In LevineD. (Ed.), Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 1965. Lincoln: Univer. of Nebraska Press, 1965. Pp. 123–180.
9.
SenterR. J.SinclairJ. D.Self-maintenance of intoxication in the rat: a modified replication. Psychonomic Science, 1967, 9, 291–292.
10.
ShumakeR. A.Schedule-induced polydipsia: an analysis of licking patterns on VR, FR, and FFI food-reinforcement schedules. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Florida State Univer., 1969.
11.
SpenceK. W.Behavior theory and learning. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1960.