Similarity between shock and safe areas during acquisition, transfer, and extinction of escape behavior in rats.

Demonstrated, in 3 experiments with a total of 128 female hooded rats, that performance in escape training was impaired when shock- and safe-box stimuli were similar rather than dissimilar to each other. Prior training with similar shock and safe boxes impaired responding during subsequent training or extinction under the dissimilar shock and safe condition. Prior training under the dissimilar condition did not reliably influence subsequent training or extinction under the similar shock-safe condition. Resistance to extinction under the dissimilar condition was reliably better following training with random presentations to both similar and dissimilar conditions than following training with the dissimilar condition alone. Exp III showed that impairment of escape behavior during training was attributable to response-contingent similarity between shock and safe boxes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conditioning and extinction of avoidance and escape behavior in neonatal dogs.

Ran 16 neonatal purebred beagles for 6.5 days in a 1-way shuttle box with cold air as the aversive stimulus. 8 Ss started at 1 day of age and 4 each started at 2 and 3 days of age. 8 Ss received escape conditioning and 8 received avoidance conditioning. Following this training, both groups were given a series of extinction trials. Both escape and avoidance conditioning and extinction were obtained. Findings are comparable to previous avoidance findings in neonatal dogs and superior to findings on neonatal mice and kittens. Results display quantitative properties found in studies of adult rats and especially adult dogs. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Importance of model similarity on extinction of avoidance behavior in children.

Studied the effectiveness of therapeutic modeling by using models similar or dissimilar to observers in a class of behavior being modified (fear) and a characteristic (age) seemingly irrelevant to the modeled response. Ss were 50 2nd and 3rd graders. 40 Ss who showed behavioral fear of snakes viewed models of 1 of 4 types: fearless child, fearful child, fearless adult, fearful adult. In addition, 10 Ss saw no model in a control condition. Pre- and postmeasures of fear were taken on behavioral and attitude dimensions. With repsect to overt avoidance, model similarity on the response dimension (level of fear) was an unimportant variable, but model similarity on the age dimension was important. With respect to attitudes, more similar models produced the greatest change regardless of the dimension on which similarity occurred. An integration of these findings with other research is presented. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pavlovian extinction in rats during avoidance response prevention.

Attempted to determine whether extinction of the aversive properties of a CS occurs during avoidance response prevention. 48 naive male albino Sprague-Dawley rats served as Ss. The CS remained somewhat aversive even after 5 5-min unreinforced presentations during response prevention, but it was significantly less aversive for Ss exposed to it without reinforcement than for nonblocked Ss or for blocked Ss given unreinforced exposures to the shock compartment in the absence of a CS. This finding supports analyses which assign a contributory role to Pavlovian extinction of CS aversiveness in facilitating avoidance extinction by response prevention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Momentum versus extinction effects in the treatment of self-injurious escape behavior

S. Enteritidis HY-1 isolated during quarantine from chicks imported from England was used. Laying hens at the age of 34 weeks were inoculated orally with 10(10) organisms (10 birds), intramuscularly with 10(9) (5 birds), and intravenously with 10(9) (5 birds). Egg production did not change in hens infected orally, although it was reduced in hens infected intramuscularly for 2-3 weeks post inoculation. For one month, internally infected eggs of which the shells were not contaminated were found: one out of 65 eggs in hens infected orally and three out of 36 eggs in hens infected intramuscularly. This experiment demonstrated the ability of S. Enteritidis isolated from chicks imported from England to cause transovarian infection.     

Reinforced alternative behavior during punishment and extinction with rats.

Evaluated the suppressive effect of a reinforced alternative response during extinction and during punishment plus extinction in a discrimination learning paradigm with 36 male hooded rats. Although reinforcement of the alternative response did augment the suppression produced by extinction and by punishment plus extinction, the recovery which resulted when reinforcement for alternative behavior was discontinued eliminated any net reduction in extinction responses. Therefore, under the particular conditions of this study, no significant overall savings in regular extinction or in punished extinction resulted from the temporary reinforcement of alternative behavior. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlation of overt escape behavior, multiunit thalamic activity, and midbrain lemniscal stimulation in rats.

Conducted an acute and a chronic experiment to assess the extent to which ventral thalamic multiunit activity could account for the specific form of barpressing escape behavior in rats stimulated by trains of midbrian medial lemniscal pulse pairs. A paradigm used by R. S. Kestenbaum et al (1970) was utilized in which the intrapair interval of the train was varied. Results in anesthetized and freely moving Ss indicate that midbrain lemniscal stimulation produced both an excitatory short-latency thalamic response showing the property of temporal facilitation and a long-lasting inhibitory process consistent with results of studies using anesthetized cats. The overall electrophysiological response, however, correlated significantly with the behavioral response function. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contrast, resistance to extinction, and forgetting in rats.

Conducted 3 experiments with a total of 176 naive male albino rats, in which the depression effect decreased progressively over retention intervals ranging from 1-68 days, which were interpolated between the pre- and postshift stages of a Crespi experiment; at 68 days the depression effect was entirely absent. A 68-day interval between acquisition and extinction eliminated the inverse relationship between resistance to extinction (RTE) and amount of reward in consistently reinforced Ss. The same retention interval eliminated the spaced-trials partial reinforcement effect (PRE) but not the massed-trials PRE. Results are consistent with the views that (a) the inverse relation between RTE and amount of reward is a special case of negative contrast, (b) different mechanisms are responsible for the PRE in massed and spaced trials, and (c) the spaced-trials mechanism is negative contrast. (25 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A behavioral and pharmacological analysis of variables mediating active-avoidance behavior in rats.

In Exp. I, two strains of rats (F344 and ZM) were run in a discriminated -maze avoidance task. The F344s were greatly superior to ZMs in acquiring the avoidance response although both strains learned the discrimination. Analysis of other response measures indicates that F344s made significantly more active responses, suggesting that differences in avoidance behavior were due to strain-specific differences in the unconditioned response to shock. In Exp. II, the same Ss were administered d-amphetamine, scopolamine, or a combination of the 2 drugs. These manipulations significantly improved avoidance behavior in the ZM strain and increased other active responses. Results suggest that the prepotent variable in active-avoidance acquisition is the extent to which the S's response to shock is compatible with the response required. (23 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reward magnitude in differential conditioning: Effects of sequential variables in acquisition and extinction.

Nine Sprague-Dawley male albino rats were randomly assigned to each of 5 groups. Three groups received differential conditioning to small (S) and large (L) reward. One group (LS) experienced L–S transitions, a 2nd group (SL) experienced S–L transitions, and a 3rd group (LS–SL) received the combined sequences of Groups LS and SL. Two control groups received only L or S trials. Negative contrast (slower speeds in the S-alley than the S control group had) was demonstrated for all 3 differential groups, and positive contrast (faster speeds in the L-alley than the L control group had) was demonstrated in Groups LS and SL, but not LS–SL. In extinction, Groups S and L showed the usual between-S differences in resistance to extinction (S more resistant than L); Groups LS and LS–SL also showed this effect, based on the within-S procedure. Group SL showed the opposite effect, which was predicted by an extension of the sequential hypothesis of extinction effects. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Retardation of extinction of an escape response by prolonged, intense goal box shock.

Studied the effects of intense, response-contingent goal box shock on the extinction of a runway-escape response in 40 male albino rats by means of a 2?×?2 factorial design in which presence vs absence of goal box shock during escape training was crossed with the same factor during extinction. Of the 2 groups trained with shock in the goal box, the 1 shocked there during extinction exhibited dramatically enhanced resistance to extinction. The group not punished there extinguished more rapidly than any of the other 4 groups. The remaining 2 groups responded at levels between these 2 groups but did not differ from each other. Results are discussed in terms of various learning-theory mechanisms, such as conditioned fear and stimulus generalization, and with emphasis on similarities between the procedures of the present study and those extant "alley-shock" and "goal-shock" self-punitive designs. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cross-cultural similarity and difference in interpersonal behavior.

It is suggested that certain aspects of interpersonal behavior are common to different cultures while certain other aspects change from culture to culture. 8 types of interpersonal behavior are defined; it is predicted that they can be arranged in a circular order according to the size of their coefficients of intercorrelation. The population investigated consists of a sample of 633 married couples living in Jerusalem, Israel, and belonging to 2 cultural groups: one originating from Europe and the other from the Middle East. It was found that the predicted circular order is the same in both groups. On the other hand the size of specific correlation coefficients varies for the 2 groups and appears to be related to group differences in cultural values. Cross-cultural similarity and difference are traced to the sequence of development of interpersonal concepts during socialization and to the influence of cultural values on the formation of these concepts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An evaluation of the total similarity principle: Effects of similarity on frequency judgments.

Memory models that embody the total similarity principle (e.g., G. Gillund and R. Shiffrin, see PA, Vol 71:8340; D. Hintzman, see PA, Vol 76:10832; B. Murdock, see PA, Vol 69:4936; and R. Ratcliff, see PA, Vol 77:18992) assume that frequency judgments reflect the total similarity of a test item to stimuli that have been studied. In 4 experiments, Ss estimated the frequencies of target words that had been presented in the context of varying numbers of semantically similar words. In a 5th experiment, Ss made forced-choice relative frequency judgments. The results of these experiments supported 1 prediction of total similarity models: Presenting similar words will increase rather than decrease frequency judgments of target words. However, a 2nd prediction of these models was not supported. In particular, similar-word presentations had no effect on the judged frequencies of target words that had not been shown. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differentiation of escape and avoidance responding in rats.

Examined escape and avoidance performance in 144 female Holtzman albino rats by factorially arranging immediate or postponed CS and UCS termination with shuttle or bar-press escape and avoidance responses. High levels of avoidance responding occurred only when the shuttle response (running) was both the escape and avoidance response, perhaps reflecting that rats are prepared to run but contraprepared to bar press when threatened by aversive stimulation. In addition, postponed UCS termination reduced avoidance performance drastically while CS termination conditions were without effect. Measures of UCS duration and clock terminations also indicated that immediate UCS termination was superior to postponed termination but additionally showed that this was so because postponed termination seriously impaired escape behavior. Results have particular relevance for how escape responses become anticipatory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contrast effects in escape conditioning of rats.

In Exp I 39 male Holtzman albino rats ran for 20 trials from an alley where they received .2-, .4-, or .8-ma shocks to a goal box where there was no shock. All Ss were then shifted to .4 ma in the alley for 20 trials. Results show that rapid adjustment of running speeds occurred with shifts in amount of escapable shock. More importantly, however, positive and negative contrast occurred. In Exp I an experimental group (n = 10) received .2 ma on half of the trials and .4 ma on the other half, and 2 control groups (n = 10) received either .4 or .2 ma on all trials. Results show that the experimental group escaped faster on .4-ma trials than the .4-ma control group (positive contrast) and escaped more slowly on .2-ma trials than the .2-ma control (negative contrast). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Context-specific morphine withdrawal in rats: Duration and effects of clonidine.

Rats previously injected with morphine in a particular environment (paired rats) emitted more withdrawal symptoms in that environment than did rats previously injected with morphine in another environment (unpaired rats) after both 1 day and 5 days of morphine abstinence. Thus, reexposure to an environment previously associated with morphine can elicit context-specific withdrawal even after several days of morphine abstinence. Clonidine (0.06 mg/kg) reduced most of the withdrawal symptoms seen 5 days after morphine abstinence in both the paired and unpaired rats. However, clonidine enhanced many of the withdrawal symptoms in both groups of rats during naltrexone-precipitated withdrawal 1 day after morphine abstinence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Persistence in children's reading behavior as a function of N length and attribution retraining.

In an investigation using 30 children (Grades 5-7) who were experiencing reading difficulties, procedures involving partial reinforcement and attribution retraining were assessed in terms of their relative effectiveness in developing reading persistence. Two levels of a partial reinforcement variable, termed N length (the number of successive failures prior to success), were factorially combined with the presence or absence of attribution retraining. A 5th condition received success-only training. These manipulations occurred in the context of a reading task presented on 3 successive days. A posttest measure of persistence revealed that the number of difficult sentences attempted by the Ss was increased jointly by both independent variables. However, Ss receiving success-only training or partial reinforcement with nonsuccessive failure (N lengths of 1), without the benefit of attribution retraining, did not show improvement from pretest to posttest. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of personality, expectancy, and situational variables to self-disclosing behavior.

Studied self-disclosure of female undergraduates after they performed a Gestalt awareness task either in the absence of E and one peer (personal situation) or in the presence of these people (interpersonal situation). Results suggest that knowledge of subjective expectancies, as well as situational contexts, is an effective predictor of what a person feels like inside (e.g., discomfort) and of how she responds to awareness-disclosure questions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relative contributions of modeling, informational influences, and physical contact in extinction of phobic behavior.

Treated 1 member of a matched triad of adult snake phobics with a participant modeling procedure in which he received the benefits of modeling, verbal information, and direct contact with the feared object. 1 of the 2 other Ss, who observed the treatment, listened to the persuasive communications of E, thus receiving the joint benefits of modeling and verbal information. The 2nd O received only the benefits of modeling. Relative to an untreated control group, all treated Ss showed significant increases in approach behavior, reduction in approach-related fear, and positive changes in attitudes toward snakes. Between-condition analyses revealed that modeling accounted for the majority of the change variance, with direct contact contributing significant increments to approach behavior and fear reduction but not to attitude change. Verbal information made no significant contribution to the positive changes; in fact, indirect evidence indicated that it had a negative influence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interrelationships among individual difference variables, behavior in psychotherapy, and verbal conditioning.

3 variables studied were S's score on personality inventory scales, therapists' rating of S's behavior in the psychotherapy situation, and Ss performance in a verbal conditioning situation. The Ss were 60 neurotic and psychotic patients, 58 of whom were men; the Autobiographical Survey was the Personality inventory. With regard to the Autobiographical Survey, high scores on the Test Anxiety and Lack of Protection scales were associated with higher levels of verbal conditioning; high Defensiveness scores with poor verbal conditioning. Patients rated by their psychotherapists as being very compliant were found to perform in the verbal conditioning at a higher level than patients rated as being relatively noncompliant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)