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Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1973 Jul;20(1):85–92. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1973.20-85

Extinction-induced aggression during errorless discrimination learning1

Mark Rilling, Harry J Caplan
PMCID: PMC1334105  PMID: 16811698

Abstract

Pigeons were trained to discriminate without errors between a green light and a dark key. The key-pecking response was reinforced in the presence of green, and extinction was in effect in the presence of the dark key. The duration of the dark key was gradually increased during the first few sessions of conditioning. The opportunity to attack a restrained target pigeon was also present. During discrimination training, the rate of attack in the presence of the dark key was higher for each animal than the operant level, even though most of the animals acquired the discrimination without errors. Furthermore, the rate of attack did not decrease during 45 sessions of discrimination training. Attack also occurred in the presence of the green stimulus, although to a lesser extent than during extinction. Reinforcement during green is a determinant of attack during extinction because removal of reinforcement virtually eliminated attack during extinction.

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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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