Date of Award
6-1991
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Jack L. Michael
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
Previous research on conditioned hunger paired food deprivation with a neutral stimulus. Amount of food eaten was typically the usual dependent variable, and the stimulus was visual, auditory or gustatory. The present study used rate of response as dependent variable, and paired an olfactory stimulus with food deprivation.
An experimental and control group each contained eight rats. Rate of bar pressing for sweetened condensed milk was the dependent measure. The experimental animals were then exposed to a vanilla scent during a period of extreme food deprivation. They were next allowed to bar press for liquid food under one hour of food deprivation. Then, the vanilla scent was introduced to determine if elevated response rates would occur as a result of the scent having been paired with the extreme deprivation condition. Data from the experimental group were compared to those of the control group after a similar period of deprivation.
Results revealed no differential effects between groups. There were no detectable differences between the control and experimental groups with respect to the pre-training and post-training response rates.
Recommended Citation
Knip, Daniel James, "The Effect of a Conditioned Establishing Operations Procedure on Rats Responding on a VI 30 Second Schedule for Sweetened Condensed Milk" (1991). Masters Theses. 990.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/990