| Abstract: | Conducted 2 experiments with male albino rats which controlled for social position (i.e., relative dominance-submission) in an appetitive social learning-performance setting. The 10 most dominant and 10 most submissive of 30 Ss were used in Exp I, and the 20 most dominant of 30 Ss were paired in Exp II. Results indicate that Ss which performed effectively when alone exhibited significantly reduced levels of responding when placed into a social environment. The severity of the response decrement was partly a function of the relative social position of the Ss involved. A dominant male made few responses when paired with another dominant male. Yet, a dominant S made even fewer responses when paired with a submissive S, which barpressed at approximately half the individual level. Findings suggest that social position, with its accompanying characteristic form of aggression, is an important determinant of performance in a social learning environment. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
