Final answer:
When the food-dispensing mechanism is shut off in two side-by-side Skinner boxes, the rat that was continuously reinforced will continue pressing the bar, while the rat that was intermittently reinforced will eventually stop pressing the bar.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the scenario where two Skinner boxes are side by side, one rat getting a food pellet every time it presses the bar and the other rat getting a food pellet every ten times it presses the bar, when the food-dispensing mechanism is shut off in these two boxes, the rats' behaviors will likely be different. The rat that was getting a food pellet every time it pressed the bar will continue to press the bar multiple times, expecting a food pellet each time. This behavior is known as continuous reinforcement. On the other hand, the rat that was getting a food pellet every ten times it pressed the bar will likely become frustrated and eventually stop pressing the bar altogether, as it realizes that no food pellet is being dispensed despite its efforts. It is important to note that behavior in these scenarios can vary depending on the individual rat's previous experiences and the specific conditions of the experiment.