Class
Article
College
Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
Department
Psychology Department
Faculty Mentor
Gregory Madden
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Early and prolonged exposure to reward delays has been found to be effective in reducing impulsive choice in male Long-Evans rats. Replication in female subjects ensures that this effect is generalizable across the sexes. Such studies also expand our knowledge of factors associated with impulsive control. The present study randomly assigned 12 female Long Evans rats into a delayed exposure group (DE) or an immediate exposure group (IE). Groups completed 120 sessions (80 trials each) of training. In each of these training trials, rats pressed a lever to earn a food reward. For DE rats, food was delayed by 17.5 s; for IE rats food was obtained immediately after the lever press. An impulsive-choice assessment was conducted following the training phase. Rats choose between 1 pellet now (impulsive choice) or 3 pellets after a 15-s delay. After choice stabilized across many sessions, DE rats made fewer impulsive choices than IE rats. The findings are encouraging. We plan to replicate in the coming months with 12 additional rats, which will provide an acceptable level of statistical power.
Location
Logan, UT
Start Date
4-12-2023 12:30 PM
End Date
4-12-2023 1:30 PM
Included in
Reducing Impulsive Choice in Female Rats
Logan, UT
Early and prolonged exposure to reward delays has been found to be effective in reducing impulsive choice in male Long-Evans rats. Replication in female subjects ensures that this effect is generalizable across the sexes. Such studies also expand our knowledge of factors associated with impulsive control. The present study randomly assigned 12 female Long Evans rats into a delayed exposure group (DE) or an immediate exposure group (IE). Groups completed 120 sessions (80 trials each) of training. In each of these training trials, rats pressed a lever to earn a food reward. For DE rats, food was delayed by 17.5 s; for IE rats food was obtained immediately after the lever press. An impulsive-choice assessment was conducted following the training phase. Rats choose between 1 pellet now (impulsive choice) or 3 pellets after a 15-s delay. After choice stabilized across many sessions, DE rats made fewer impulsive choices than IE rats. The findings are encouraging. We plan to replicate in the coming months with 12 additional rats, which will provide an acceptable level of statistical power.