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      Possum Food Preferences under Progressive-Ratio and Concurrent-Schedules of Reinforcement

      Cronin, Ian Raymond
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      Cronin, I. R. (2012). Possum Food Preferences under Progressive-Ratio and Concurrent-Schedules of Reinforcement (Thesis, Master of Applied Psychology (MAppPsy)). University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10289/6638
      Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/6638
      Abstract
      Three experiments compared various ways of examining food preferences in the common brushtail possum (Trischosurus vulpecula). The first experiment compared the preferences obtained between four foods using paired-stimulus (PS) and multiple-stimulus without-replacement (MSWO) assessments. The ranked orders identified by the two methods produced similar orders in individual possums, but were idiosyncratic across possums. Following this, Experiment 2 involved a progressive-ratio (PR) reinforcer assessment with all four foods used in the preference assessments of Experiment 1. For each possum, each of the four foods functioned as reinforcers when presented in a single-schedule arrangement, including those foods identified as less preferred. Experiment 3 used concurrent-schedules, with a PR schedule on one alternative and fixed-ratio (FR) on the other. It was found that higher break points and response rates, as well as flatter demand functions were found for the same food in both Experiment 2 and 3. It was also found that when the concurrent alternative was on an FR 50 schedule, the response rates, break points and Pmax values of the food on the PR schedule tended to be higher than when the concurrent alternative was on an FR 20 schedule. Overall, the PS and MSWO assessments were equally effective at identifying which foods would function as reinforcers during Experiment 2 and 3.
      Date
      2012
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Name
      Master of Applied Psychology (MAppPsy)
      Supervisors
      Foster, T. Mary
      Bizo, Lewis A.
      Publisher
      University of Waikato
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      All items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
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