Self-punitive behavior: Effects of number of massed acquisition trials and percentage of goal-shocked extinction trials

Abstract

Using a massed trials procedure, rats were given 6, 12, or 24 shock escape acquisition trials in a runway, followed by extinction in which they received no further shock anywhere in the alley, or shock in the goalbox on 0%, 10%, or 100% of extinction trials. Results indicate that number of acquisition trials had no effect on run or start speeds during extinction. Percentage of shocked extinction trials did, however, affect extinction performance measures. In comparison

Goal aversiveness after escape training with short and long intertrial intervals

“…If that is true, the presence of aversiveness in the goalbox could complicate interpretations of self-punitive responding (Babb, Kostyla, & Bennett, 1980;Brown, 1969;Dean & Pittman, 1991) but might help to elucidate findings in which small frequencies of goal punishment, with short ITIs, produce facilitated responding and longer frequencies produce suppression (Matthews Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Harold Babb, Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton, Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000. Babb, 1985Babb, , 1987. Short ITIs may result in some conditioned aversion to the goalbox since the animal's presence there immediately precedes its reintroduction into the aversive startbox.…”