Operant stimulus control applied to maze behavior. II. Positive reinforcement of discrimination reversal in rats

4 rats were reinforced with cream and sugar for traversing a 4-ft. runway which allowed right and left approaches to separate goal boxes. After each S had satisfied 3 criteria of stable responses to a goal, the path to that goal was blocked by a door, thus requiring a discrimination reversal. All Ss met the same criteria of stability through 2 to 4 reversals as a decreasing function of number of reinforced trials.

Operant stimulus control applied to maze behavior: heat escape conditioning and discrimination reversal in Alligator mississippiensis

Eight alligators were trained to escape heat by traversing an 8-ft runway containing right or left approaches to a water tank. All subjects were run until they had satisfied three criteria of stable response time, after which the predominant escape path was blocked, requiring discrimination reversal. Seven subjects again met the criteria; three also met them in a second reversal.

Laboratory maintenance and learning of Alligator mississippiensis

Procedures for both obtaining and maintaining American alligators are described in this report. Several animals were housed in a group living space with access to a swimming tank. Weekly feedings of several hundred live minnows sufficed to maintain eight American alligators for some 2 yr. Force-feeding was described and recommended for young animals which did not eat spontaneously. Several studies using a two-choice alley maze were outlined. After several procedures failed to obtain stable responding, aversive heat escape conditioning was effective in generating stable response and running times. Approaches to asymptotic baselines were again revealed following two discrimination reversals. Running times were relatively constant, while errors and pauses appeared to contribute to the longer response times.