Abstract
A technique is described in which rats are pretrained with reinforcement to bar press. Each bar press was associated with a tone. This tone was later paired with one of two aspects of an electric shock, either at the onset or at the end of the shock, in a situation in which the shock is inescapable. These animals were retested in the operant situation under conditions of extinction, but with tone present as a conditioned reinforcer. The finding was that animals for which the tone was associated with shock onset extinguished quickly, whereas animals for which the tone was paired with shock termination extinguished more slowly.
Full text
PDF


Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- BAILEY C. J., MILLER N. E. The effect of sodium amytal on an approach-avoidance conflict in cats. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1952 Jun;45(3):205–208. doi: 10.1037/h0055258. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- BECK R. C. On secondary reinforcement and shock termination. Psychol Bull. 1961 Jan;58:28–45. doi: 10.1037/h0044276. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- BUCHANAN G. N. The effects of various punishment-escape events upon subsequent choice behavior of rats. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1958 Jun;51(3):355–362. doi: 10.1037/h0047536. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- WENZEL B. M. Relative resistance to reserpine of responses based on positive, as compared with negative, reinforcement. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1959 Dec;52:673–681. doi: 10.1037/h0039182. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]