Behavioral history effects on the maintenance of schedule‐induced drinking in rats

López‐Tolsa et al. (2026) worked with rats on a fixed-interval food schedule. The team first let the animals drink while they waited for pellets. Then they took the water away for a short phase. Finally they gave the water back and watched what happened.

The question: does the brief no-water history change later schedule-induced drinking?

When water returned, the rats drank less than before. The short removal phase left a lasting mark. The result shows that past water access, not just current pellets, steers adjunctive behavior.

Thompson et al. (1971) showed that bigger meals boost schedule-induced drinking. López‐Tolsa adds a second lever: past water access can later cut that same drinking.

Ley (2001) found that long FI exposure wipes out old response-rate history. Yet the new study shows water-removal history does stick. The difference is the variable tested: response-rate history fades, but a short water-loss episode lingers and suppresses adjunctive drinking.

Davison et al. (1991) first showed that schedule history bends later FI patterns. The 2026 paper narrows this to water history, revealing another layer of behavioral memory.

For BCBAs, the study is a reminder: what you remove today can echo tomorrow. If a client briefly loses access to a preferred drink, toy, or break area, later adjunctive behaviors may drop even after access returns. Track these mini histories in your session notes. When you see sudden dips in stereotypy or water intake, check prior access changes before you tweak the intervention.