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Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1971 Jan;15(1):109–116. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1971.15-109

Some effects of punishment shock intensity upon discriminative responding1

Robert W Powell
PMCID: PMC1333787  PMID: 5547283

Abstract

Three pigeons received visual discrimination training under both multiple variable-ratio extinction and variable-interval extinction schedules. All birds developed nearly perfect discrimination. When punishment for every tenth response during food reinforcement was presented, responding decreased as shock intensity increased. At the same time, responding during extinction, which was not punished, increased at intermediate punishment intensities, but returned to low levels under severe punishment. A second procedure, in which punishment and no-punishment sessions alternated unsystematically, was employed with two of the birds. The results under this procedure essentially replicated the data obtained as punishment shock intensity increased gradually.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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