Conditioned-hunger drive as indicated by avoidance of a situation previously associated with hunger

Abstract

This investigation concerned evidence for conditioned hunger in terms of the tendency for animals to leave an environment previously associated with hunger. The Ss were placed in a distinctive white box for 30 minutes a day for 45 days; one group always was 21½-hours hungry, a control group was relatively satiated (one-hour hungry). The Ss were then tested by being allowed a 10-minute period in the white box during which they could move freely into (or out of) a black box attached to one side of the white box. The amount of time out of the 10-minute period that Ss spent in the black box was recorded along with the number of crossings between the white and black box. The Ss were tested on two separate days. They were satiated the first test day, 22-hours hungry the second test day. Experimental Ss spent significantly more time in the black box than the controls and made significantly more crossings. Various interpretations of the differences in exploratory behavior were discussed. In view of the greater number of crossings the results were regarded as reflecting differences in exploratory activity rather than avoidance of the white box.