Day 17 - Extinction

Time: 30:00
Protocol ID: 25 (Extinction)
Event 1 Total: 185
Reinforcement Total: 0
Goal: Under 200 bar presses
Goal Reached: Yes

05:00 - 47 : 47
10:00 - 73 : 26
15:00 - 119 : 46
20:00 - 159 : 40
25:00 - 180 : 21
30:00 - 185 : 5


2:45 - Initially Rat wondered the box and only pressed the bar once, but then after going to the magazine, she ended up pressing the bar ~15 times in a row.

5:00 - So far she has only had three bar-pressing "sessions;" the number of sessions in decreasing with time, but the number of presses per session is staying consistent. The rate at which the time interval between sessions is increasing is pleasing. Hopefully the number of presses per session will decrease as well.

8:15 - Fourth session. Almost all of her time is spent at the magazine, although she is beginning to spend more time wondering the box.

12:00 - Time breakdown: 3/4 at magazine, 1/8 on bar, 1/8 wondering box and grooming. Presses per session have dropped from ~15 to ~8.

15:30 - Within each session, the times between bar presses have increased from less than one second to 2-3 seconds.

17:45 - Rat is not moving as quickly or as impulsively when she wants to press the bar (i.e., running over to and jumping on the bar). She is now walking at a normal pace towards it.

22:00 - More time is being spent standing next to the bar and magazine but facing away from it. Very little movement at all: no grooming, looking around, wondering - just standing.

24:15 - Session consisted of 2 presses spaced 2 seconds apart, a 10-15 second pause and another ~5 presses.

25:30 - Time breakdown: 1/3 not moving, 1/3 grooming and wondering, 1/6 at magazine (but not chewing or scratching), 1/6 looking at, standing by, or pressing bar

28:30 - Time breakdown: 2/3 wondering, 1/6 not moving, 1/6 looking at bar or magazine (but not pressing, sniffing, chewing, pressing, etc.)


Today was a great step towards extinction, but I rapid progress wasn't observed until the last 10 minutes. I call it a step because I don't feel like she can be considered extinct yet. I very well might need an additional extinction session to be able to consider her fully extinct (this is probably due to the extra two training days I took with her).