Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 2000 Nov;74(3):347–361. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2000.74-347

Criticisms of the satiety hypothesis as an explanation for within-session decreases in responding.

F K McSweeney 1, E S Murphy 1
PMCID: PMC1284801  PMID: 11218230

Abstract

The authors of four papers recently reported that satiation provides a better explanation than habituation for within-session decreases in conditioned responding. Several arguments question this conclusion. First, the contribution of habituation to within-session changes in responding seems clearly established. Information that is consistent with habituation, but that is difficult to reconcile with satiation, is not adequately addressed. Second, the limited evidence offered in support of satiation is ambiguous because the results are just as compatible with habituation as with other satiety variables. Finally, the term satiation is used in an intuitive way that is sometimes contradicted by research about the termination of ingestion. Use of the technical term satiation in a way that differs from its conventional usage will only isolate operant psychology from other areas of psychological research.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (142.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. AZRIN N. H. Sequential effects of punishment. Science. 1960 Feb 26;131(3400):605–606. doi: 10.1126/science.131.3400.605. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baker T. B., Tiffany S. T. Morphine tolerance as habituation. Psychol Rev. 1985 Jan;92(1):78–108. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Berry S. L., Beatty W. W., Klesges R. C. Sensory and social influences on ice cream consumption by males and females in a laboratory setting. Appetite. 1985 Mar;6(1):41–45. doi: 10.1016/s0195-6663(85)80049-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bizo L. A., Bogdanov S. V., Killeen P. R. Satiation causes within-session decreases in instrumental responding. J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1998 Oct;24(4):439–452. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Broster B. S., Rankin C. H. Effects of changing interstimulus interval during habituation in Caenorhabditis elegans. Behav Neurosci. 1994 Dec;108(6):1019–1029. doi: 10.1037//0735-7044.108.6.1019. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Clifton P. G., Burton M. J., Sharp C. Rapid loss of stimulus-specific satiety after consumption of a second food. Appetite. 1987 Oct;9(2):149–156. doi: 10.1016/0195-6663(87)90044-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. DeMarse T. B., Killeen P. R., Baker D. Satiation, capacity, and within-session responding. J Exp Anal Behav. 1999 Nov;72(3):407–423. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1999.72-407. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Epstein L. H., Rodefer J. S., Wisniewski L., Caggiula A. R. Habituation and dishabituation of human salivary response. Physiol Behav. 1992 May;51(5):945–950. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(92)90075-d. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Facon B., Darge T. M. Evaluation of toy variation on engagement in a leisure activity of two children with profound multiple handicaps. Psychol Rep. 1996 Aug;79(1):203–210. doi: 10.2466/pr0.1996.79.1.203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Groves P. M., Thompson R. F. Habituation: a dual-process theory. Psychol Rev. 1970 Sep;77(5):419–450. doi: 10.1037/h0029810. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hinson J., Tennison L. Within-session Analysis Of Visual Discrimination. J Exp Anal Behav. 1999 Nov;72(3):385–405. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1999.72-385. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. JEROME E. A., MOODY J. A., CONNOR T. J., RYAN J. Intesity of illumination and the rate of responding in a multiple-door situation. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1958 Feb;51(1):47–49. doi: 10.1037/h0039830. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kennedy C. H., Meyer K. A., Werts M. G., Cushing L. S. Effects of sleep deprivation on free-operant avoidance. J Exp Anal Behav. 2000 May;73(3):333–345. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2000.73-333. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Killeen P. R. Economics, ecologics, and mechanics: The dynamics of responding under conditions of varying motivation. J Exp Anal Behav. 1995 Nov;64(3):405–431. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1995.64-405. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Killeen P. R., Hanson S. J., Osborne S. R. Arousal: its genesis and manifestation as response rate. Psychol Rev. 1978 Nov;85(6):571–581. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mackintosh N. J. Neurobiology, psychology and habituation. Behav Res Ther. 1987;25(2):81–97. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(87)90079-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Marcus E. A., Nolen T. G., Rankin C. H., Carew T. J. Behavioral dissociation of dishabituation, sensitization, and inhibition in Aplysia. Science. 1988 Jul 8;241(4862):210–213. doi: 10.1126/science.3388032. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. McSweeney F. K., Norman W. D. Defining behavioral contrast for multiple schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1979 Nov;32(3):457–461. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1979.32-457. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. McSweeney F. K., Roll J. M. Responding changes systematically within sessions during conditioning procedures. J Exp Anal Behav. 1993 Nov;60(3):621–640. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1993.60-621. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. McSweeney F. K., Roll J. M., Weatherly J. N. Within-session changes in responding during several simple schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1994 Jul;62(1):109–132. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1994.62-109. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. McSweeney F. K., Swindell S. Behavioral economics and within-session changes in responding. J Exp Anal Behav. 1999 Nov;72(3):355–371. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1999.72-355. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. McSweeney F. K., Swindell S., Weatherly J. N. Within-session changes in responding during concurrent schedules with different reinforcers in the components. J Exp Anal Behav. 1996 Nov;66(3):369–390. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1996.66-369. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. McSweeney F. K., Weatherly J. N., Swindell S. Within-session changes in key and lever pressing for water during several multiple variable-interval schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1995 Jul;64(1):75–94. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1995.64-75. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. McSweeney F., Swindell S., Weatherly J. Within-session Changes In Responding During Autoshaping And Automaintenance Procedures. J Exp Anal Behav. 1996 Jul;66(1):51–61. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1996.66-51. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. McSweeney F., Weatherly J. Habituation To The Reinforcer May Contribute To Multiple-schedule Behavioral Contrast. J Exp Anal Behav. 1998 Mar;69(2):199–221. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1998.69-199. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. McSweeney F., Weatherly J., Swindell S. Within-session Changes In Responding During Concurrent Variable-interval Schedules. J Exp Anal Behav. 1996 Jul;66(1):75–95. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1996.66-75. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Neiss R. Reconceptualizing arousal: psychobiological states in motor performance. Psychol Bull. 1988 May;103(3):345–366. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.103.3.345. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Ploog B. O., Zeigler H. P. Effects of food-pellet size on rate, latency, and topography of autoshaped key pecks and gapes in pigeons. J Exp Anal Behav. 1996 Jan;65(1):21–35. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1996.65-21. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Rolls B. J., Rowe E. A., Rolls E. T. How sensory properties of foods affect human feeding behavior. Physiol Behav. 1982 Sep;29(3):409–417. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(82)90259-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Rolls B. J., Rowe E. A., Rolls E. T., Kingston B., Megson A., Gunary R. Variety in a meal enhances food intake in man. Physiol Behav. 1981 Feb;26(2):215–221. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(81)90014-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. SCHOENFELD W. N., ANTONITIS J. J., BERSH P. J. Unconditioned response rate of the white rat in a bar-pressing apparatus. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1950 Feb;43(1):41–48. doi: 10.1037/h0059309. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Savory C. J. Rates of eating by domestic fowls in relation to changing food deficits. Appetite. 1988 Feb;10(1):57–65. doi: 10.1016/s0195-6663(88)80033-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Staddon J. E. Attention and temporal discrimination: factors controlling responding under a cyclic-interval schedule. J Exp Anal Behav. 1967 Jul;10(4):349–359. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1967.10-349. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Staddon J. E., Higa J. J. Multiple time scales in simple habituation. Psychol Rev. 1996 Oct;103(4):720–733. doi: 10.1037/0033-295x.103.4.720. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Swithers S. E., Hall W. G. Does oral experience terminate ingestion? Appetite. 1994 Oct;23(2):113–138. doi: 10.1006/appe.1994.1041. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Thompson R. F., Spencer W. A. Habituation: a model phenomenon for the study of neuronal substrates of behavior. Psychol Rev. 1966 Jan;73(1):16–43. doi: 10.1037/h0022681. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Treit D., Spetch M. L., Deutsch J. A. Variety in the flavor of food enhances eating in the rat: a controlled demonstration. Physiol Behav. 1983 Feb;30(2):207–211. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(83)90007-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Weingarten H. P. Stimulus control of eating: implications for a two-factor theory of hunger. Appetite. 1985 Dec;6(4):387–401. doi: 10.1016/s0195-6663(85)80006-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior are provided here courtesy of Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

RESOURCES