Use of Heat as a Reinforcing Agent

Abstract

An experiment was carried out in which rats confined in a cold environment were reinforced by a brief burst of radiant heat for raising the lid of their cage. The experiment was designed to determine whether Ss would learn to make this response, and if so, whether clipping the animal's hair would increase the effectiveness of the heat. Learning in both clipped and non-clipped groups was demonstrated by a higher response rate during training than during a non-reinforced period. The effects of clipping failed to reach significance.