Abstract
The operant behavior of 6 adult male hooded rats was assessed in a double Skinner box during exposure to three companion conditions: a trained companion present, untrained companion present, and no companion present. Bar-pressing and water-tube licking were recorded while subjects performed on an FI 60-sec. schedule. The schedule-induced response pattern for both bar-pressing and licking established response probabilities as a function of point of measurement within each interval. Bar-pressing was more probable at the end of each interval, licking was more probable at the beginning. This response-dominance continuum between the two behaviors may represent a more literal interpretation of Zajonc's “dominant response” concept. Findings indicated that dominant bar-press probability and total bar-press frequency were significantly lower during exposure to trained companions compared to the no-companion condition. This result is the opposite of what Zajonc's theory would predict for previously learned behavior; however, the fixed interval schedule used here calls attention to the possibility that his general assumptions regarding effects of companions may not hold for rats' operant behavior.
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