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Comparative Study
. 1994 Jul;62(1):149-56.
doi: 10.1901/jeab.1994.62-149.

Social reinforcement of operant behavior in rats: a methodological note

M J Evans  1 , A Duvel, M L Funk, B Lehman, J Sparrow, N T Watson, A Neuringer
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Social reinforcement of operant behavior in rats: a methodological note

M J Evans et al. J Exp Anal Behav. 1994 Jul.

Abstract

An apparatus was developed to study social reinforcement in the rat. Four Long-Evans female rats were trained to press a lever via shaping, with the reinforcer being access to a castrated male rat. Responding under a fixed-ratio schedule and in extinction was also observed. Social access was found to be an effective reinforcer. When social reinforcement was compared with food reinforcement under similar conditions of deprivation and reinforcer duration, no significant differences were observed.

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