Success of Covert Negative Reinforcement is Not the Result of Operant Conditioning

In the covert negative reinforcement procedure, a client is asked to imagine an unpleasant situation and then to imagine performing the adaptive response whose frequency the therapist-wishes to increase. According to Cautela, the imagined adaptive response should increase in frequency because of its association with the termination of the unpleasant image, just as escape-conditioning leads to an increase in the frequency of a response that terminates a noxious stimulus. Using 27 college students who showed an aversion to harmless snakes, this investigation attempted to test Cautela's conditioning rationale by comparing covert negative reinforcement with a procedure containing all of the elements of covert negative reinforcement except for the theoretically essential pairing of the imagined unpleasant situation with the imagined adaptive response. Self-report and behavioral measures of snake aversion indicated no consistent differences in the effectiveness of these two treatments, although both treatments were significantly more effective than no treatment. Over-all, the results of this experiment were interpreted as contradicting the escape-conditioning explanation of covert negative reinforcement.

Electrical Aversion Therapy with Alcoholics: A Comparative Follow-up Study

SummaryA group of alcoholics treated by partially reinforced electrical escape conditioning were found to have a significantly better outcome on follow-up than a selected control group, who showed a parallel level of motivation, and were treated by conventional methods. No sex differences in outcome were found for either group. In the experimental group, better prognosis was associated with higher social class and older age, and poorer prognosis with single marital status. There were no variations in outcome for age in the control group. In the age range 20–40 aversion therapy showed no better results than conventional therapies, but with subjects above this age range it was very significantly superior. The results are discussed with reference to the application of aversion therapy to alcoholism.

“Dwelling” Time, Operant Measure of “Depression” Effect in Escape Conditioning

Two groups of rats ( n = 16) were given escape conditioning in the operant chamber. Time between depression and release of the lever (“dwelling” time) for experimental rats shifted from high to low intensity shock was longer than controls' maintained on low intensity (“depression”).