Behavior strength as a function of the intensity of the hunger drive.

Abstract

Twelve female albino rats were taught a panel-pushing response to obtain food after 24 hr. of food deprivation. Then they were tested under different amounts of drive when the drive-controlling operations were prefeeding or deprivation. Measurements of behavior strength in terms of median reciprocal latency of the response were obtained after 0, 10, and 15 min. of prefeeding, and after deprivations of 10 min., 30 min., 50 min., 60 min., 2 hr., 8 hr., 15 hr., and 24 hr. Associated with prefeeding there occurred a rapid decrease in reciprocal latency which persisted for the first hour after eating to satiation. Between 1 hr. and 2 hr. of deprivation a rapid increase in reciprocal latency occurred. Beyond 2 hr. this measure increased more slowly up to 24 hr. The shape of the function resembles that presented by Saltzman and Koch for resistance to extinction, and is also like a curve described by Hull. The characteristics of the behavior observed under satiation suggest the operation of a motive other than hunger, perhaps an acquired drive of the sort postulated by Tolman.