Inhibition of Shuttlebox-Avoidance Behavior Resulting from a Reduction in the Magnitude of Reinforcement

1982 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 499-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Cotton ◽  
K. Green ◽  
A. Trlin
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Response ◽  
Shock Intensity ◽  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Conditioned Inhibition ◽  
Conditioning Phase ◽  
Shuttlebox Avoidance ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Wagner Model ◽  
Conditioned Inhibitor ◽  
Inhibitory Conditioning

Three experiments studied inhibitory conditioning in an unsignalled shuttlebox-avoidance preparation with rats. Following a Pavlovian conditioning phase and using a summation test in which test stimuli were superimposed on a previously established ongoing shuttlebox-avoidance response, it was found in Exp. 1 that a light could be established as an inhibitor of avoidance when it signalled the absence of shock. Exp. 2 established that a light could become a conditioned inhibitor when it signalled a reduction in shock intensity rather than its complete absence. Exp. 3 confirmed this general finding but did not yield differential inhibitory effects with different degrees of reduction in shock intensity for the particular parameters chosen. The findings can be adequately interpreted in terms of the Rescorla-Wagner model of conditioned inhibition.

Inhibitory Conditioning Resulting from a Reduction in the Magnitude of Reinforcement

1982 ◽  
Vol 34 (3b) ◽  
pp. 163-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Cotton ◽  
Glyn Goodall ◽  
N. J. Mackintosh
Keyword(s):  
Stimulus Control ◽  
Shock Intensity ◽  
Conditioned Suppression ◽  
Summation Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Conditioned Inhibitor ◽  
Inhibitory Conditioning ◽  
Experimental Subjects ◽  
The Difference

Five experiments, all employing conditioned suppression in rats, studied inhibitory conditioning to a stimulus signalling a reduction in shock intensity. Experimental subjects were conditioned to a tone signalling a 1·0 mA shock and to a tone-light compound signalling a 0·4 mA shock. On a summation test in which it alleviated the suppression maintained by a third stimulus also associated with the 1·0 mA shock, the light was established as a conditioned inhibitor. Retardation tests gave ambiguous results: the light was relatively slow to condition when paired, either alone or in conjunction with another stimulus, with the 0·4 mA shock, but the difference from a novel stimulus control group was not significant. Two final experiments found no evidence at all of inhibition on a summation test in which the light was presented in conjunction with a stimulus that had itself been associated with the 0·4 mA shock. The results of these experiments have implications for the question of what animals learn during the course of inhibitory conditioning.

scholarly journals The redundancy effect is related to a lack of conditioned inhibition: Evidence from a task in which excitation and inhibition are symmetrical

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 260-278
Author(s):  
Tara Zaksaite ◽  
Peter M Jones
Keyword(s):  
Associative Strength ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Conditioned Inhibition ◽  
Causal Learning ◽  
Learning Effects ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Wagner Model ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Redundancy Effect ◽  
Human Causal Learning

Rescorla and Wagner’s model of learning describes excitation and inhibition as symmetrical opposites. However, tasks used in human causal learning experiments, such as the allergist task, generally involve learning about cues leading to the presence or absence of the outcome, which may not reflect this assumption. This is important when considering learning effects which provide a challenge to this model, such as the redundancy effect. The redundancy effect describes higher causal ratings for the blocked cue X than for the uncorrelated cue Y in the design A+/AX+/BY+/CY–, the opposite pattern to that predicted by the Rescorla–Wagner model, which predicts higher associative strength for Y than for X. Crucially, this prediction depends on cue C gaining some inhibitory associative strength. In this article, we used a task in which cues could have independent inhibitory effects on the outcome, to investigate whether a lack of inhibition was related to the redundancy effect. In Experiment 1, inhibition for C was not detected in the allergist task, supporting this possibility. Three further experiments using the alternative task showed that a lack of inhibition was related to the redundancy effect: the redundancy effect was smaller when C was rated as inhibitory. Individual variation in the strength of inhibition for C also determined the size of the redundancy effect. Given that weak inhibition was detected in the alternative scenario but not in the allergist task, we recommend carefully choosing the type of task used to investigate associative learning phenomena, as it may influence results.

Effects of Ionized Air on Early Acquisition of Sidman Avoidance Behavior by Rats

1977 ◽  
Vol 41 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1071-1074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Falkenberg ◽  
Roger E. Kirk
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Response ◽  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Avoidance Performance ◽  
Albino Rats ◽  
Sidman Avoidance ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Air Ions ◽  
Air Ionization ◽  
Early Acquisition ◽  
Ionized Air

This research investigated the effects of positive and negative air ionization on the early acquisition of a Sidman (1953) avoidance response. The subjects were 20 male albino rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain. They were randomly assigned to ionization conditions and given 4 2-hr. acquisition sessions. The temporal parameters of the task were a response-shock interval of 20 sec. and a shock-shock interval of 5 sec. Shocks were delivered as 1-ma. pulses of 1 sec. duration. The results indicated that at the end of 4 2-hr. sessions the avoidance performance of rats trained in the presence of negative air ions was superior to that of rats trained in the presence of positive air ions.

Effect of Delay of CS Termination and Similarity between CS and Safety Signal (FS) on the Extinction of Shuttlebox-Avoidance Responding

1981 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 943-947
Author(s):  
M. M. Cotton
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Response ◽  
Avoidance Task ◽  
Safety Signal ◽  
Additive Effects ◽  
Shuttlebox Avoidance ◽  
Feedback Stimulus ◽  
Delay Of Reinforcement

Two groups of 48 rats were trained on an avoidance task with a 2000-Hz tone CS. A safety signal or feedback stimulus (FS) following a hurdle response was provided by either a 4000-Hz tone (FSI) or 8000-Hz tone (FS2) for two groups, respectively. During extinction FS1 and FS2 groups were divided into four subgroups receiving 0-, 2-, 5-, or 10-sec. delay of CS offset (and therefore FS onset), respectively. FS2 facilitated acquisition but not extinction of the avoidance response. Extinction was facilitated by greater delay of CS offset and greater similarity between CS and feedback stimulus, with the two variables exerting independent additive effects. Results support the proposition that the similarity of CS and feedback stimulus and the delay of reinforcement function independently in avoidance situations.

Effect of an Adrenal Demedullation on Signaled, One-Way, Active Avoidance Learning

1978 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 631-637
Author(s):  
John J. Clancy ◽  
Donald F. Caldwell
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Response ◽  
Adrenal Medulla ◽  
Avoidance Learning ◽  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Active Avoidance ◽  
Escape Latency ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Active Avoidance Response ◽  
Relevant Variables

The effect of an adrenal demedullation on the acquisition of a signaled, one-way active avoidance response was examined in the rat. No significant differences in acquisition related to the adrenal demedullation were found on the four behavioral measures of response, avoidance and escape latency, and the number of avoidance responses. It was concluded that the catecholamines, epinephrine and norepinephrine, produced by the adrenal medulla are not necessary for the acquisition of a signaled, one-way, active avoidance response. The results indicate that response criteria and cue functioning in one-way acquisition are not relevant variables in resolving discrepancies in the adrenal demedullation literature. The findings suggest that unsignaled, two-way acquisition should be investigated for further clarification of the role of the adrenal medulla in avoidance behavior.

Facilitation of Avoidance Behavior by Unavoidable Shocks in Normal and Amygdalectomized Monkeys

1964 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliot Hearst ◽  
Karl H. Pribram
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Response ◽  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Response Rates ◽  
General Notion ◽  
Aversive Stimuli ◽  
And Control

When shocks were occasionally delivered regardless of S's behavior, the avoidance response rates of both amygdalectomized and control monkeys were markedly increased. Amygdalectomized Ss showed at least as great a facilitation as control Ss. The results of this test do not support the general notion that amygdalectomized Ss are relatively insensitive to the effects of aversive stimuli.

Effect of Amobarbital Administered at Various Stages of Avoidance Response Acquisition

1966 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. K. Martin ◽  
B. J. Powell ◽  
D. K. Kamano
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Response ◽  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Dosage Level ◽  
Training Period ◽  
Avoidance Acquisition ◽  
Prior Training ◽  
Response Acquisition

In order to study the effects of amobarbital at various stages during avoidance acquisition, rats were injected with 20 mg/kg of the drug or with a placebo at the beginning of training or after four or eight days of training. As in previous studies, amobarbital facilitated CAR emission when given from the beginning of training. However, injections of the same drug at the same dosage level had no demonstrable effect on CAR emission after either four or eight days of training under placebo. Results very clearly indicated that a prior training period grossly alters the effect of the drug on avoidance behavior.

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