RAT AT THE WATERHOLE

Two experiments, utilizing 30 male albino Sprague-Dawley rats, assessed the drinking patterns of freely feeding and drinking Ss. Exp I indicated that, when access to water required effort, Ss obtained their total daily intake in 1 bout. Exp II, in which each small drink within a bout required effort, indicated that only bout duration and response rate were affected. Feeding patterns were unaffected. These observations are consistent with predictions of optimal foraging theory and demonstrate the importance of a major class of nonhomeostatic variables in descriptions of drinking patterns. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1979 American Psychological Association.