Effects of loss of control over food acquisition on subsequent disk-pull escape learning

Abstract

The present study examined whether or not a loss of control over food acquisition would interfere with disk pulling shock escape learning. The loss-of-control rats, which had experienced loss of control over food delivery, and the lack-of-control rats, which had received noncontingent food delivery without a prior history of control over food, were impaired on acquisition of the fixed ratio (FR) 2 disk-pull escape compared to the response-contingent, the continuous-reinforcement (CRF)-control, and the home-cage-control rats, which did not differ from each other. These findings support the view that the learning of response-outcome noncontingency produces a subsequent helplessness phenomenon, in a proactive fashion.

The effects of predictability and controllability in appetitive situation upon subsequent disk-pull escape learning in rats

“…This phenomenon has been termed the learned helplessness effect; it has been hypothesized that learning about noncontingency between response and outcome produces the learning of uncontrollability, and results in deleterious effects (Maier & Seligman, 1976;Seligman, 1975). Some experiments found that the learning of uncontrollability in an appetitive situation interferes with subsequent learning in aversive or appetitive situation (Caspy & Lubow, 1981;Goodkin, 1976;Job, 1987Job, , 1988Job, , 1989Sonoda, Hirai, & Okayasu, 1992;Sonoda, Okayasu, & Hirai, 1991). These findings are formally similar to effects seen in experiments with pretreatment of uncontrollability over shock.…”

Associative learning in animals: A selective review of recent topics and contribution of Japanese researchers1

“…As in other countries, learned helplessness effect is more popular than the irrelevance effects among Japanese researchers. A series of rat studies have been conducted by psychologists of Sophia University (Okayasu, 1987, 1989; Sonoda, 1990, 1996; Sonoda, Okayasu, & Hirai, 1991; Sonoda & Hirai, 1992, 1993a, 1993b; Sonoda, Hirai, & Okayasu, 1992). They have successfully demonstrated learned helplessness in cross‐outcome transfer designs.…”