Assessment of demand for food under concurrent PR and FR schedules in the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)
Cameron, Kristie; Bizo, Lewis A.; Starkey, N.J.
Share
View fulltext online
Date
2015-05-09Citation:
Cameron, K. E., Bizo, L. A., & Starkey, N. J. (2015). Assessment of Demand for Food under Concurrent PR and FR Schedules in the Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus Vulpecula). International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 28, pp.1-19.Permanent link to Research Bank record:
https://hdl.handle.net/10652/3453Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare the demand by possums for foods under different arrangements of concurrent progressive-ratio and fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement.
In Experiment 1, every possible food pair made up of berries, chicken, egg, foliage, insects and mushroom was presented (30 pairs in total). The requirement on the progressive-ratio schedule increased within a session and the fixed-ratio was kept constant at 30.
In Experiment 2, a subset of the foods from Experiment 1 were used (chicken, mushroom, egg and berries) and in separate conditions the fixed-ratio was either 30 or 10 responses.
In Experiment 3, the foods were the same as used in Experiment 2 and the progressive-ratio schedule increased every five sessions and the fixed-ratio schedule was 30 responses. Exponential models of demand were applied to consumption rates to compare the parameters of initial demand, essential value and Pmax, and break point and cross point across foods.
The models described the data well and consumption rates were similar when the incrementing schedules increased within- and across sessions. Demand was highest for berries, egg and locust in Experiment 1 and egg and chicken in Experiments 2 and 3. This finding has practical implications for understanding possum food preferences in the wild as a function of other available food sources and for informing pest control strategies of potential lures.
Keywords:
food preferences, fix ratio (FR) schedules of reinforcement, consumption rates, pest control lures, Trichosurus vulpecula (brushtail possum), progressive ratio (PR) schedules of reinforcementANZSRC Field of Research:
050211 Wildlife and Habitat Management, 070308 Crop and Pasture Protection (Pests, Diseases and Weeds)Copyright Holder:
AuthorsCopyright Notice:
Copyright 2015 by the article author(s). This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution3.0 license, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Available Online at:
http://escholarship.org/uc/item/2ng716nqRights:
This digital work is protected by copyright. It may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: Any use you make of these documents or images must be for research or private study purposes only, and you may not make them available to any other person. You will recognise the author's and publishers rights and give due acknowledgement where appropriate.Metadata
Show detailed recordThis item appears in
The following license files are associated with this item: