@article{bbf6cdd60f484d738000c5fc64ea9452,
title = "Longer operant lever-press duration requirements induce fewer but longer response bouts in rats",
abstract = "Operant behavior is organized in bouts that are particularly visible under variable-interval (VI) schedules of reinforcement. Previous research showed that increasing the work required to produce a response decreases the rate at which bouts are emitted and increases the minimum interresponse time (IRT). In the current study, the minimum effective IRT was directly manipulated by changing the minimum duration of effective lever presses reinforced on a VI 40-s schedule. Contrary to assumptions of previous models, response durations were variable. Response durations were typically 0.5 s greater than the minimum duration threshold; durations that exceeded this threshold were approximately log-normally distributed. As the required duration threshold increased, rats emitted fewer but longer bouts. This effect may reflect an effort-induced reduction in motivation and a duration-induced facilitation of a response–outcome association.",
keywords = "Bouts, Duration, Lever press, Rats, Refractory period, Variable interval",
author = "Brackney, {Ryan J.} and Raul Garcia and Federico Sanabria",
note = "Funding Information: This study was supported by two grants from the National Institutes of Health to Federico Sanabria (DA032632, MH094562). We would like to thank Peter Killeen and Janet Neisewander for their helpful comments and suggestions. We would like to thank Alexander Gilmour, Alexander Spitzer, Alexandra Paul, Christopher Fencl, Fritzgerald Jerome, Gabriel Wood-Isenberg, Marie Simonsen, Gabriel Mazur, and Elizabeth Watterson for their assistance in data collection. All data are available upon request to the corresponding author. Funding Information: This study was supported by two grants from the National Institutes of Health to Federico Sanabria (DA032632, MH094562). We would like to thank Peter Killeen and Janet Neisewander for their helpful comments and suggestions. We would like to thank Alexander Gilmour, Alexander Spitzer, Alexandra Paul, Christopher Fencl, Fritzgerald Jerome, Gabriel Wood-Isenberg, Marie Simonsen, Gabriel Mazur, and Elizabeth Watterson for their assistance in data collection. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Psychonomic Society, Inc.",
year = "2021",
month = sep,
doi = "10.3758/s13420-021-00464-7",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "49",
pages = "330--342",
journal = "Learning and Behavior",
issn = "1543-4494",
publisher = "Springer New York",
number = "3",
}