Ambivalent behavior or ambivalence in rats was observed in a single-lever Skinner box situation. The behavioral features associated with ambivalence were filmed and described, and their intensities were graded. It was found that different behavioral patterns, depending on the site of stimulation, are involved in ambivalence. Moreover, the intensity of self-stimulation and withdrawal was found to be higher in subjects implanted in posterior brain areas than in rats implanted in anterior areas, suggesting the existence of a gradient of ambivalence. At a theoretical level, it was suggested that complex mechanisms, possibly involving an autonomous ambivalent system, could be responsible for ambivalence.

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