Feeder Approach between Trials Is Increased by Uncertainty and Affects Subsequent Choices

ENeuro
Aaron J GruberSienna H Randolph

Abstract

Animals quickly learn to approach sources of food. Here, we report on a form of approach in which rats made volitional orofacial contact with inactive feeders between trials of a self-paced operant task. This extraneous feeder sampling (EFS) was never reinforced and therefore imposed an opportunity and effort cost. EFS decreased during initial training but persisted thereafter. The relative rate of EFS to operant responding increased with novel changes to the operant chamber, reward devaluation by prefeeding, or lesions to the dorsolateral striatum. We speculate that this may function to increase exploration when the task is uncertain (early in learning or introduction of novel apparatus components), when the opportunity cost is low, or when the learned sensorimotor solution is compromised. Moreover, EFS strongly affected subsequent choices by triggering a lose-shift response away from the sampled feeder, even though it occurred outside of the trial context. This indicates that at least some behaviors occurring between trials impact future behaviors and should be considered in decision-making studies.

Citations

Mar 24, 2018·Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience·Victorita E IvanAaron J Gruber
Jul 6, 2021·Stress : the International Journal on the Biology of Stress·C E MatiszA J Gruber

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
transgenic

Software Mentioned

SPSS
Arduino
MathWorks
Matlab

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Basal Ganglia

Basal Ganglia are a group of subcortical nuclei in the brain associated with control of voluntary motor movements, procedural and habit learning, emotion, and cognition. Here is the latest research.

© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved