Buxton A, Allison J
Indiana University, Bloomington 47405.
Physiol Behav. 1990 Feb;47(2):239-47. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(90)90137-s.
Thirsty rats tested in 60-min sessions licked an empty spout for access to a water spout. We raised the behavioral price of the water lick by requiring more licks at the empty spout per lick at the water spout. At relatively high prices the rats made relatively few water licks but licked more efficiently, getting more water per lick. Controls showed that the rise in efficiency with price was not attributable to two variables previously confounded with price: the total number of water licks, and the temporal pattern of access. At a higher price the rats also licked more persistently, making more extra water licks before the shutter could occlude the spout. However, yoked controls showed that the greater persistence resulted not from price, but from the relatively stringent pattern of access that accompanied the higher price. Extra water licks diminished as the session progressed, apparently from satiety, not fatigue. The results have implications for behavioral ecology, behavioral economics, motivation, and the methodology of reward.
在60分钟的实验时段中，口渴的大鼠会舔舐空喷嘴以获取水源喷嘴中的水。我们通过要求大鼠在水源喷嘴每舔一次，在空喷嘴上需舔更多次，从而提高了舔水行为的代价。在相对较高的代价下，大鼠舔舐水源的次数相对较少，但舔舐效率更高，每次舔舐能获得更多的水。对照实验表明，效率随代价的提高并非归因于之前与代价混淆的两个变量：舔舐水源的总次数以及获取水源的时间模式。在较高代价下，大鼠舔舐也更具持久性，在挡板遮挡喷嘴之前会进行更多额外的舔水动作。然而，配对对照实验表明，更强的持久性并非由代价导致，而是由伴随较高代价的相对严格的获取模式所致。随着实验时段的推进，额外的舔水动作减少，这显然是由于饱腹感而非疲劳。这些结果对行为生态学、行为经济学、动机以及奖励方法学都有启示。
