Spatial distribution of behavior under concurrent random-time schedules of water

Abstract

A study was designed to explore the effects of concurrent random-time delivery of water on the spatial dimensions of behavior with five different continuous measures in time and space. Four water-deprived male-Wistar rats were exposed to two concurrent random time schedules of water delivered in two dispensers located at opposite walls of an enlarged experimental chamber. In five different phases, the scheduled frequency of water deliveries remained constant while their distribution in each of two dispensers varied systematically. The continuous record of rat location through the experimental chamber was analyzed in terms of the directionality, vigor, variation, preference, and persistence of behavior. Directionality and preference showed systematic variations as the number of dispensers providing water and their timing changed, vigor and variation remained relatively constant through the experimental phases, and persistence showed a slight decrease across phases. Results support the argument that molar continuous measures depict extended moment-to-moment changes in behavioral dimensions usually not considered in the typical procedures recording discrete repetitive responses.