| Abstract: | Three experiments examined the effects of the severity of punishment, defined in terms of intensity/voltage (Exp I), duration (Exp II), and frequency combined with 2 levels of intensity (Exp III), on the aggressive display of Siamese fighting fish. Findings show that display duration was a curvilinear function of punishment severity regardless of whether severity was defined as intensity, duration, or frequency. Relative to nonpunished conditions, moderate levels of punishment increased display duration, whereas strong punishment led to suppression. Increased biting was observed with moderate levels of punishment frequency. Results are discussed in terms of adaptive significance of the organism's reaction to counteraggression. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
